
Class I 



PRESENTED BY 









PRIVATE THOUGHTS, 

In Ctoo \Uvt$ ftompltte. 

■ 

PART I. 

UPON 

RELIGION, 

DIGESTED INTO 

TWELVE ARTICLES; 

WITH 

PRACTICAL RESOLUTIONS, 

FORMED THEREUPON. 



PART II. 

UPON A 

CHRISTIAN LIFE; 

OR, NECESSARY 

DIRECTIONS 

FOR ITS BEGINNING AND PROGRESS UPON 
IN ORDER TO ITS FINAL PERFECTION IN THE 

BEATIFIC VISION. 






BY THE RIGHT REVEREND FATHER IN GOD, 

WILLIAM BEVERIDGE, D. D. 

Late Lord Bishop of St. Asaph. 



A NEW EDITION, 

TO WHICH IS PREFIXED, THE 

LIFE AND CHARACTER OF THE AUTHOR. 



Uott&Ott : 

PRINTED FOR T. HAMILTON, 33, PATERNOSTER ROW, 

1817. 






Mrs. H*ifm#rj Jennings 



LC Control Number 




tmp96 



031620 



/ 



■so 
> 



THE 

LIFE AND CHARACTER 



OF THE 



AUTHOR. 



KYS HIS excellent Prelate, who, by his learning and piety 
•*- was one of the brightest ornaments to the church of 
England in his time, was born at Barrow, in Leicestershire 
in the year 1 63 8 — he w r as educated at St. John's college, 
Cambridge, where he applied with great assiduity to the 
study of the oriental languages, and made such proficiency 
in this part of learning, that at eighteen years of age he 
wrote a treatise of the Excellency and Use of the Oriental 
Tongues, especially the Hebrew, Chaldee, Syriac, Arabic, 
and Samaritan, with a Syriac Grammar. The 3d of Ja- 
nuary, 1 660-1, he was ordained Deacon by Robert, Bi- 
shop of Lincoln, and Priest the 31st of that month, and 
about the same time was presented to the vicarage of 
Ealing in Middlesex, which he resigned about a year af- 
ter, upon his being chosen Rector of St. Peter's, Cornhill, 
by the Lord Mayor and Aldermen of London. He ap- 
v plied himself to the discharge of his ministry, with the ut- 
most zeal and assiduity. He was highly instructive in his 
discourses from the pulpit ; and his labours were crowned 
with such success that he was styled the great reviver and 
restorer of primitive piety. Bishop Hinchman, his dio- 
cesan, having conceived a great esteem for him, collated 
him to the prebend of Chiswick, in the cathedral of St. 
Paul's.on the 22 d of December, 1674 : and this bishop's 
successor, Dr. Compton, conferred upon him the archdea- 
conry of Colchester, on the 3d of November, 1681. No- 
vember the 5th, 1684, he was installed prebendary of 
Canterbury, and about the same time was appointed chap- 

A 2 



* LlFfc OF THE AUTHOR; 

lain to king William and queen Mary. In 1691 he was 
offered, but refused to accept of, the see of Bath and Wells, 
vacant by the deprivation of Dr. Kenn, for not taking the 
oaths to king William and queen Mary. But some time 
after he accepted of that of St. Asaph, and was consecrat- 
ed July 16, 1704. Upon his advancement to the episco- 
pal chair, he wrote a most pathetic letter to the clergy of 
his diocese, recommending to them <e The duty of cate- 
" chizing and instructing the people committed to their 
" charge, in the principles of the Christian religion, to 
t( the end they might know what they were to believe, 
" and do, in order to salvation." And, to enable them to 
do this the more effectually, he sent them a plain exposi- 
tion upon the church catechism. This good Prelate did 
not enjoy his episcopal station above three years and some 
months, for he died March the 5th, 1707, in the 71st 
year of his age, and was buried in St. Paul's cathedral. 
He left the greatest part of his estate to the societies for 
propagating Christian knowledge. To the curacy of 
Mount Sorrel, and vicarage of Barrow, in the county of 
Leicester, he bequeathed twenty pounds a-year, on con- 
dition that prayers be read morning and evening every 
day, according to the liturgy of the church of England, 
in the chapel and parish church aforesaid ; with the sum 
of forty shillings yearly to be divided equally upon Christ- 
mas-eve, among eight poor house-keepers of Barrow, as 
the minister and church- war dens should agree. 

Bishop Beveridge has had a high character given him by 
several Writers. The author of a letter published in the 
Guardian, having made an extract out of the bishop's first 
sermon in the second volume relating to the Deity, tells 
us, that it may for acuteness of judgment, ornament of 
speech, and true sublime, compare with any of the choic- 
est writings of the ancient fathers, or doctors of the church, 
who lived nearest to the apostles' times. Dr. Henry Fel- 
ton, in his dissertation oh reading the classics and form- 
ing a just style, written in the year 1709, &C. tells us, 
" That our learned and venerable Bishop hath delivered 
« himself with those ornaments alone, which his subject 
2 



LIFE -OF THE AUTHOR. 

€C suggested to him, and hath written in that plainness 
" and solemnity of style, that gravity and simplicity, which 
" give authority to the sacred truths he teacheth, and un- 
' " answerable evidence to the doctrines he defendeth ; that 
" there is something so great, primitive, and apostolical 
" in his writings, that it creates an awe and veneration in 
" our mind. That the importance of his subjects is above 
" the decoration of words, and what is great and majestic 
" in itself, looketh most like itself, the less it is adorned." 
The true sublime in the great articles of our faith is lodged 
in the plainest words. The divine revelations are best ex- 
pressed in the language they were revealed in ; and, as I 
observed before of the Scriptures, they will suffer no orna- 
ment nor amendment. Thus Dr. Felton. 

Another writer gives this character qf our excellent 
Bishop. " This great and good Bishop had very early ad- 
" dieted himself to piety and a religious course of life, of 
" which his Private Thoughts upon Religion will be a last- 
" ing evidence. They were written in his younger years - 
£i &nd he must a considerable time before this, have de- 
" voted himself to such practices, otherwise he could ne- 
u ver have drawn up so judicious and sound a declaration 
" of his faith, nor have formed such excellent resolutions 
" so agreeable to the Christian life in all its parts. These 
sc things shew him to be acquainted with the life and power 
" of religion long before, and that even from a child lie hum 
" the Holy Scriptures. And as his piety was early, so it 
" was very eminent and conspicuous, in all the parts and 
" stations of his life. As he had formed such good resolu- 
* tions, he made suitable improvements upon them ; and 
" they, at length, grew up into such settled habits, that 
(i all his actions savoured of nothing but piety and relf- 
" gion. His hoiy example was a yery great ornament to 
" our church ; and he honoured his profession and func- 
u tion by zealously discharging all the duties thereof, 
" How remarkable was his piety towards God ! What an 
" awful sense of the divine Majesty did he always express ! 
" How did he delight in his worship and service and fre- 
u quent his house of prayer ! How great was his charity to 

A 3 



LIFE OF THE AUTHOR. 

* men ; how earnestly was lie concerned for their welfare, 
" as his pathetic addresses to them in his discourses plain- 
" \y discover ! How did the Christian spirit run through all 
" his actions, and what a wonderful pattern was he of 
" primitive purity, holiness, and devotion ! Ashe was re- 
" markable for his great piety and zeal for religion, so he 
" was highly to be esteemed for his learning, which he 
" wholly applied to promote the interest of his great Mas- 
(( ter. He was one of extensive and almost universal read- 
J* ing ; he was well skilled in the oriental languages, and 
" the Jewish learning, as may appear from many of his 
" sermons ; and, indeed, he was furnished to a very emi- 
" nent degree with all useful knowledge. He was very 
u much to be admired for his readiness in the scriptures : 
" he had made it his business to acquaint himself tho- 
" roughly with those sacred oracles, whereby he was jT?/r- 
" nished unto all good works : he was able to produce suit- 
" able passages from them on all occasions, and was very 
" happy in explaining them to others. Thus he improved 
" his time and his abilities in serving God, and doing 
" good, till he arrived at a good old age, when it pleased 
" his great Master to give him rest from his labours, and 
" to assign him a place in those mansions of bliss, where 
" he had always laid up his treasure, and to which his 
" heart had been all along devoted through the whole 
" course of his life and actions. He was so highly esteem- 
" ed among all learned and good men, that when he was 
" dying, one of the chief of his order deservedly said of 
" him, There goes one of the greatest, and one of the best 
" men, that ever England bred." 

Notwithstanding these just and candid opinions, it must 
not be concealed, that the enemies of the truths, which 
this good Bishop maintained, or rather which the church 
of England maintains in her articles and homilies (for the 
Bishop held no other) made a virulent attack upon his 
writings soon after his decease. At that time, as well as 
at this, there were people, who could pretend to subscribe 
the articles ex animo for preferment, without believing a 
word of them ; and, not satisfied with his duplicity, could 



LIFE OF THE AUTHOR. 7 

have the effrontery likewise to be very angry with those, 
who conscientiously did believe and honestly professed 
them. The Bishop has been charged with absurdities 
upon the doctrine of the Trinity, with downright Calva- 
nism, &c.-*--but, let it be remembered, it was by Antitrini- 
tarians, Pelagians, Socinians, &c. who it must be owned, are «- 
not very fair judges upon the case. His Private Thoughts, 
than which we have very few more excellent books, have 
been a particular object of their animadversion. One hun- 
dredth part of this good man's piety, in his adversaries, 
would have led them to different conclusions, and have 
caused at least a silent reverence for a character, which 
very few men of any order are over-disposed to excel. If 
such men as Whiston, and Collins his admirer, were to 
dictate the rules of orthodoxy ; we can easily guess what 
would become of all the confessions and formularies of 
faith, which are supported by divine authority and by di- 
vine grace witnessing their truth in men's hearts and lives; 
and, what sort of respect might be shewn, in a very little 
time afterwards, to the Bible itself: for the humour of im- 
peaching divine, as well as political, positions knows no 
end, but subversion and anarchy. However, we have „ 
reason to be thankful lor that gracious promise, that ike^ 
gates of hell shall not prevail against the church or truths of 
God, to the end of the world ; and, therefore, we need 
not be more deeply concerned, than in charity we ought 
to be for the self-deluding innovators themselves, con- 
cerning a matter, which has the wisdom of God to con- 
duct, and the power of God to support it at all times. 

Bishop Beveridge left many works. Those published by 
himself are as follows : ' e I. De Linguarum Orientalium, 
praesertim Hebraicae, Chrldaicae, Syriacae, Arabicae & 
Samaritanicae, prasstantia et usu, London, lG58. II. In- 
stitutionem Chronologicarum libri duo, una cum totidem 
arithmetices chronologicae libellis, London, l66£). III. 
Synod ekon sive Pandectae Canonum S. S. apostolorum et 
conciliorum ab Ecclesia Grasca receptorum, &c. Oxonii y 
2 \ oh. folio, 1672. IV. Codex Canonum Ecclesias Primi- 
tive vindicatus and illustratus, London, 1679. V* The 

A 4 



8 W LIFE OF THE AUTHOR. 

Church Catechism explained for the Use of the Diocese of 
St. Asaph, London, 1704, Mo" reprinted several times 
since in a small volume. Besides the above-mentioned 
works of this Prelate, we have the following published af- 
ter his death. VI. Private Thoughts upon Religion, di- 
gested into Twelve Articles, with Practical Resolutions 
formed thereupon ; written in his younger years (when 
he was but twenty-three years old) for the settling of his 
principles and conduct of life, London, 1709. VII. Pri- 
vate Thoughts upon a Christian Life ; or Necessary Di- 
rections for its Beginning and Progress upon Earth, in or- 
der to its Final Perfection in the Beatific Vision, London 
1709. VIII. The Great Necessity and Advantage of Pub- 
lic Prayer and Frequent Communion. Designed to re- 
vive Primitive Piety ; with Meditations, Ejaculations ; 
and Prayers, before, at, and after the Sacrament, Lon- 
don, 1710. These have been reprinted several times in 
4to. and 12mo. IX. One Hundred and Fifty Sermons and 
Discourses on Several Subjects, London, 1708, &c. in 
12 vols. 8vo. Reprinted at London, 1719, in 2 vols. fol. 
X. Thesaurus Theologicus ; or, a Complete System of Di- 
vinity, summed up in Brief Notes upon Select Parts of 
the Old and New Testaments ; wherein the Sacred Text 
is reduced under Proper Heads, Explained and Illustrat- 
ed with the Opinions and Authorities of the Ancient Fa- 
thers, Councils, &c. London, 1711, 4 vols. 8vo. XI. A 
Defence of the Book of Psalms, Collected into English 
Metre, by Thomas Sternhold, John Hopkins, and others, 
with Critical Observations on the New Version compared 
with the Old, London, 1710, 8vo. In this book he 
gives the Old Version the preference to the New. XII. 
Exposition of the Thirty-Nine Articles, London, 1710, 

1716, M 



PREFACE. 



AFTER so great a name as that of Bishop Beveridge in 
the title,, it was as superfluous to attempt any farther 
recommendation of these papers, as it would be impossible 
to effect it. If any thing can add to the esteem they must 
every where meet with, upon the account of so great an 
author, it must be a serious perusal and application of 
them. 

Those that read them with the same spirit of candour, 
with which this great man always read the works of others, 
and. with the same spirit of piety, with which he wrote his 
own; will undoubtedly discover hi them such a lively 
idea of the great genius of the author, and so sensibly ex- 
perience the good influence of them upon their minds, as 
will more effectually engage their approbation, than the 
highest encomiums from another hand. 

The great misfortune is, that those who have most need 
to be instructed and reformed, have no true taste or relish 
for books of this nature : their eyes are dazzled with the 
glittering appearances of the objects of sense, and their 
hearts enslaved to the works of darkness ; so that the 
beams of divine light are but troublesome and offensive to 
them : every point of faith is a contradiction to their prin^ 
ciples, and every precept enjoined a reproach to their mo- 
rals. And therefore, in order to stave off those self-con- 
demning thoughts, that naturally arise from the serious 
perusal of such sort of treatises ; they scoff at, and despise 
them, as dull and insipid ; not worth the consideration of 
men of more refined parts and deeper penetration, who 
are too wise to be guided by the rule of God's word, and 
too obstinate to be persuaded to walk, in any other path, 
but that which the devil has chalked out for them, the 
path which leads to destruction. 

But these men would do well to consider, before they 
are wholly under the power of delusion, that this is not 
really owing to any flaws or defects in such performances, 
but to their own reprobate minds and depraved judgments^ 
which tarnish the beauty, cast a mist before the truth 
frustrate their influence, and pervert the design of them * 
like a vitiated palate, which nauseates the most delicioi s 
tastes ; or a foul or disordered stomach, that turns tl e 
most wholesome food into poison and corruption. So that 
A 5 



10 PREFACE. 

they must first divest themselves of their lust and pride, 
their prejudice and partiality, before they can ever expect 
to reap any benefit or advantage by this, or any other dis- 
courses, that tend to the promoting of piety and religion. 

Having thus opened the way to the reading of this 
book, it may not be improper, in order to set it in its 
true light, and do justice to the author of it, to say some- 
thing more particularly concerning both; and to adver- 
tise the reader, that the following sheets were wrote by 
the bishop in his younger years, upon Ins first entrance 
into holy orders. And though they may not perhaps, be 
so perfect and correct, as if he himself had lived to give 
the finishing stroke to them, and fit them for the press 
with his own hand ; yet as the roughness of a jewel doth 
not lessen the worth and value of it, when the brightness 
of its natural lustre, even under that disadvantage, out- 
shines that of others, which are polished and refined by 
art ; so it is to be hoped, the candid and judicious reader 
will, in this well designed piece, however unfinished, dis- 
cover such singular beauties and graces, as few others, 
even at the highest pitch of their attainments, and with 
the utmost care and diligence, are able to come up to. 

As to the author's design in writing these papers, it is 
sufficiently set forth in the title of them. He considered, 
that truth of doctrine, and innocency of life, were both 
absolutely necessary to the due exercise of the sacred func- 
tion which he had the honour and happiness to be ad- 
mitted into. He knew the power of example to prevail 
even beyond that of precept, and was very solicitous, with 
the blessed apostle, to make his own calling and election 
sure, lest that by any means, when he had preached to 
others, he himself should be a cast-away. To the end, 
therefore, that he might both save himself, and them that 
heard him, that both by his life and doctrine he might set 
forth the glory of God, and set forward the salvation of men. 
He drew up these articles, to settle his principles in point 
of faith, and formed these resolutions upon them, to regu- 
late his actions with regard to practice. 

What great things might not the church promise herself 
from a foundation so well laid ! from principles settled 
with so much learning and judgment, and resolutions 
formed upon such strict rules of piety and religion ? What 
glorious expectations in an age of that degeneracy of faith 
and manners, wherein he then lived, might not be justly 
raised from hence, for the future reformation of both ? 






PREFACE. 11 

And, indeed, this excellent person did even more than 
satisfy ail these extraordinary hopes which the early and 
ample specimens he gave of his virtue and knowledge had 
made the world conceive of him. For having taken this 
prudent and^ effectual care to ground and determine his 
own faith and practice ; and being ever mindful of the in- 
junction laid upon him, when he was ordained priest, 
" To consider the end of his ministry towards the children 
ec of God, towards the spouse and body of Christ ; he ne- 
" ver ceased his labour, care and diligence, until he had 
" done all that in him lay (as our holy church does most 
" admirably express the duty of that order) to bring all 
' e such as were committed to Tiis charge unto that agree* 
" ment in the faith and knowledge of God, and to that 
" ripeness and perfectness of age in Christ, that there should 
" be no place left among them for error in religion, or for 
" viciousness in life." 

While his care of souls was chiefly confined to the 
bounds of a single parish, with what labour and zeal did 
he apply himself to the discharge of his ministry, in the 
several parts and offices of it ! how powerful and instruc- 
tive was he in his discourses from the pulpit ! how warm 
* and affectionate in his private exhortations ! hpw orthodox 
in his doctrine ! how regular and uniform in the public 
worship of the church ! in a word, so zealous was he, and 
heavenly-minded, in all the spiritual exercises of his pa* 
rochial function, and his labours were so remarkably 
crowned with blessing and success, that as he himself was 
Justly styled the great reviver and restorer of primitive 
piety ; so his parish was deservedly proposed, as the best 
model and pattern for the rest of its neighbours to copy 
after. 

Nor was the Archdeacon, or the Bishop, less vigilant 
than the Parish-priest: his care and diligence increased 
as his power in the church was enlarged ; and as he had 
before discharged the duty of a faithful pastor over his sin- 
gle fold, so when his authority was extended to larger dis* 
tricts, he still pursued the same pious and laborious me? 
thods of advancing the honour and interest of religion, by 
watching over both clergy and laity, and giving them all 
necessary direction and assistance for the effectual per* 
formance of their respective duties. 

Accordingly, he was no sooner advanced to the episco-? 
pal chair, but, in a most pathetic and obliging letter to 
the clergy of Ins diocese, he recommended to them, " th# 

A 6 



12 PREFACE. 

' ' duty of catechising and instructing the people commit- 
w ted to their charge in the principles of the Christian re- 
<( ligion, to the end that they might know what they 
" were to believe, and do, in order to salvation ;" and 
told them, " He thought necessaiy to begin with that, 
u without which whatever else he, or they, should. do, 
" would turn to little or no account, as to the main end of 
" the ministry." And to enable them to do this, the more 
effectually, he sent them a plain and easy exposition upon 
the church catechism ; of which I need say nothing more, 
and can say nothing greater, than that it was drawn up 
by himself; in a method, which, in the opinion of so 
great a judge, seemed, of all others, the most proper to 
instruct the people. 

Thus endeavouring to make himself and others every 
day wiser and better, labouring to establish sound prin- 
ciples, and settle good manners wherever he came, as it 
was the foundation which this holy man laid in these arti- 
cles and resolutions ; so we see it was the great work of 
his life to build upon it ; as might easily be made appear, 
from a faithful and particular relation of the several stages 
and passages of it during the course of his ministry ; the 
bare enumeration of which would swell this preface into a 
book. That fair portrait will, I hope, be drawn down by 
some abler pen. 

In the mean time, there is yet another instance of his 
great concern and unwearied endeavours for the establish- 
ing of sound doctrine, which I must not omit the men- 
tioning of, because it is a work of so much affinity with 
these articles, and what the reader may, with great ad- 
vantage, have recourse to for farther satisfaction upon these 
general heads of divinity, which he has here given us only 
in abridgment; it is his learned Exposition upon the 
Thirty-nine Articles ; which is promised, in a short time, 
to be committed to the press ; and which is the more earn- 
estly desired and expected, as being a performance, which 
the church, at this time, so much wants, and which he, 
beyond others, was in such an extraordinary manner, qua- 
lified for. 

Such discourses as these, the one giving a true exposi- 
tion of the doctrine of our church, the other endeavour- 
ing to establish it by an orthodox faith, and an unspotted 
life, were never more seasonable than in this age ; when 
the very being of the church is called in question, under a 
pretence of maintaining her rights ; and the principles of 



PREFACE. IS 

Christianity are no longer secretly undermined, but open- 
ly attacked ; when books are published against all reveal- 
ed religion, and Deism insults and triumphs bare-faced, 
without restraint, without reproach. In a word, when 
we are arrived to that dissoluteness of manners, as well as 
principles, that persons of the highest quality and station 
are addressed to in print, as patrons of Libertinism ; and 
that which has, in all ages, been called, and esteemed, the 
greatest wisdom, is scored at by false wit ; and Christiani- 
ty, under the notion of enthusiasm, exposed to the con- 
tempt of the meanest capacities, and hooted out of the 
world by the very dregs of the people. 

In so general an inundation of profaneness, and licen- 
tiousness, Providence seemed indeed to have raised up 
this great and good man to stand in the gap, and stem the 
tide against it : but where the torrent is so impetuous, and 
the forces, that should unite in striving to divert it, so 
weak and pusillanimous, there is more danger the very 
opposers should be borne down the stream, than there are 
hopes of making good the opposition. But, however, the 
doctrine and discipline of our church may be represented, 
exploded and despised, and our holy religion become only 
a name, which is almost every where spoken against ; this 
good Bishop will nevertheless have the honour as he alrea- 
dy enjoys the reward, not only of bearing testimony 
against the growing ill, but of having done all that he 
could (and who could do more than he !) to restrain and 
subdue it. 

It may, perhaps, be thought a bad omen to our church 
to have lost so" able a champion, when she seems to stand 
so much in need of him. But blessed be God, we have 
not altogether lost him : he has left us behind him, in these 
excellent papers, (to say nothing of his sermons, and other 
incomparable writings) such clear reasoning and con- 
vincing arguments for the grounding of our principles ; 
and such useful rules and directions for the government of 
our conversation, that we may yet hope for a happy re- 
formation in both, if we are not wanting to ourselves in 
the use and application of them. 

Would the clergy, the younger sort especially, take this 
method, upon their first admission into holy orders, (and 
it ought to be no hard matter to persuade them to it, since 
it is the very end and design of their ministry) it could 
not fail, by the blessing of God, of producing very ad- 
mirable effects. Their principles, thus prudently settled, 



14 PREFACE. 

would stand the shock even of a fiery trial ; and then* re- 
solutions, thus maturely formed, would undauntedly bear 
up against the most powerful temptation. 

This, if any thing, would raise the dignity of the priest- 
hood to its first institution, silence all the loud clamours, 
as well as malicious whispers, that, like echoes, are re- 
doubled and reverberated upon them, and gain them such 
an interest and reputation among the people, and such an 
honour and authority in the discharge of their function, 
and from reverencing the person, and commending the 
pattern, they would insensibly proceed to the imitation of 
it ; till, by degrees, the flock too, as well as the shep- 
herd, would become wise to salvation,- would devoutly sanc- 
tify the Lord God in their hearts, and not only so, but be 
ready always to give an answer to every ona. that should ask 
them a reason of the hope that is in them. 

And were both clergy and laity thus rightly principled, 
and firmly resolved ; the enemies of our Zion would have 
both less encouragement to attack, and less power to hurt 
us : our national church might then despise all the wicked 
attempts and designs that are daily made and formed 
against her, and assume to herself that comfortable pro- 
mise and assurance, that our Saviour himself has given, 
that even the gates of hell shall never prevail against her. 

All that jrtiave farther to say, is only to apologize for hav- 
ing said so much upon a subject that so little needs it ; and 
to close the whole with my hearty prayers to the throne of 
grace, that this pious and excellent book may meet with 
that desired effect and success, which the author aimed at 
in the composing of it, and may be as useful to others, as it 
was to himself. 



CONTENTS. 

PART FIRST. 



Page 

THOUGH TS on Religion . 25 

Article I. I believe there is one God, the Being of 

all beings 2S 

Art. II. I believe that whatsoever the most high 
God would have me to believe or do, in order to his 
glory, and my happiness, he hath revealed to me in 

his holy Scriptures 31 

Art. III. I believe that as there is one God, so this 
one God is three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost 49 

Art. IV. I believe, that I was conceived in sin, 
and brought forth in iniquity ; and that, ever since, 
I have been continually conceiving mischief, and bring- 
ing forth vanity 51 

Art. V. I believe the Son of God became the Son 
of man, that I, the son of man* might become the 
SonofGod „ 50 

Art. VI. I believe, that Christ lived to God, and 
died for sin, that I might die to sin, and live with God 57 

Art. VII. I believe that Christ rose from the grave, 
that I might rise from sin, and that he is ascended 
into heaven, that I might come unto him , .. 59 

Art. VIII. I believe that my person is only justifi- 
ed by the merit of Christ imputed to me ; and that 
my nature is only sanctified by the Spirit of Christ 
implanted in me .,,... Qi 

Art. IX. I believe God entered into a double cove- 
nant with man, the covenant of works made with first, 
and the covenant of grace made in the second Adam 71 

Art. X. I believe that as God entered into a cove- 
nant of grace with us, so hath he signed his covenant 
to us by a double seal, baptism and the Lord's supper 77 

Art. XI. I believe, that, after a short separation, 
my soul and body shall be united together again, in " > 
order to appear before the judgment-seat of Christ, 
and be finally sentenced according to my deserts ... 84 

Art. XII. I believe there are two other worlds be- 
sides this I live in ; a world of misery for unrepent- 
ing sinners, and a world of glory for believing saints 91 



16 CONTENTS. 

RESOLUTIONS FORMED UPON THE FORE- 
GOING ARTICLES. 

RESOLUTION I. 

I AM resolved, by the grace of God, to walk by- 
rule, and therefore think it necessary to resolve 
upon rules to walk by 97 

ResoL II. I am resolved, by the grace of God, to 
make the divine word the rule of all the rules I propose 
to myself 9^ 

ResoL III. I am resolved, that as I am not able to 
think or do any thing that is good without the influ- 
ence of the divine grace, so I will not pretend to me- 
rit any favour from God upon account of any thing I 
do for his glory and service 99 

Concerning my Conversation in general. 

ResoL I. I am resolved, by the grace of God, to 
make Christ the pattern of my life here, that so Christ 
may be the portion of my soul hereafter 101 

ResoL II. I am resolved, by the grace of God, to* 
walk by faith, and not by sight, on earth, that so I 

may live by sight, and not by faith, in heaven 1 02 

, ResoL III. I am resolved by the grace of God al- 
ways to be looking upon God, as always looking upon 
me 103 

Concerning my Thoughts. 

ResoL I. I am resolved, by the grace of God, to 
watch as much over the inward motions of my heart 
as the outward actions of my life 105 

ResoL II. I am resolved, by the grace of God, to 
stop every thought at its first entering into my heart, 
and to examine it, whence it comes, and whither it 
tends 106 

ResoL III. I am resolved, by the grace of God, to 
be as fearful to let in vain, as careful to keep out sin- 
ful thoughts 107 

ResoL IV. I am resolved, by the grace of God, to be 
j:1 ways exercising my thoughts upon good objects, 
that the devil may not exercise them upon bad 10$ 

ResoL V. I am resolved, by the grace of God, so to 
marshal may thoughts, that they may not one justle 
out another, nor any of them prejudice the business 
I amabout .* 110 



CONTENTS. 17 

Concerning my Affections. 

ResoL I. I am resolved, by the grace of God, al- 
ways to make my affections subservient to the dictates 
of my understanding, that my reason may not follow, 
but guide my affections 112 

Respl. II. I am resolved, by the grace of God, to 
love God as the best of goods, and to hate sin, as the 
worst of evils 114 

ResoL III. I am resolved, by the assistance of di- 
vine grace, to make God the principal object of my 
joy, and sin the principal object of my grief and sor- 
row ; so as to grieve for sin more than suffering, and 
for suffering only for sin's sake 1 16 

ResoL IV. I am resolved, by the grace of God, to 
desire spiritual mercies more than temporal ; and tem- 
poral mercies only in reference to spiritual 118 

ResoL V. I am resolved, by the grace of God, t& 
hope for nothing so much as the promises, and to fear 
nothing so much as the threatenings of God 119 

ResoL VI. I am resolved, by the grace of God, to 
arm myself with that spiritual courage and magnani- 
mity, as to press through all duties and difficulties 
whatsoever, for the advancement of God's glory, and 
my own happiness 121 

ResoL VII. I am resolved, by the grace of God, so 
to be angry, as not to sin, and therefore to be angry 
at nothing but sin ............... J23 

Concerning my Words. 

ResoL I. I am resolved, by the grace of God, never 
to speak much, lest I often speak too much, and not 
to speak at all, rather than to no purpose 125 

ResoL II. I am resolved, by the grace of God, not 
only to avoid the wickedness of swearing falsely, but 
likewise the very appearance of swearing at all 127 

ResoL III. I am resolved, by the grace of God, al- 
ways to make my tongue and heart to go together, so 
as never to speak with the one what I do not think in 
the other 125 

ResoL IV. I am resolved, by the divine grace, to 
speak of other men's sins only before their faces, and 
of their virtues only behind their backs ISO 

ResoL V. I am resolved, by the grace of God, al- 
ways to speak reverently to my superiors, humbly to 
my inferiors, and civilly to all 131 



13 CONTENTS. 

Concerning my Actions. 

- Resol. I. I am resolved, by the grace of God, to do 
every thing in obedience to the will of God 1 33 

Resol. II. I am resolved, by the grace of God, to 
do every thing with prudence and discretion, as well 
as with zeal and affection 135 

Resol. III. I am resolved, by the grace of God, 
never to set my hand, my head, or my heart, about 
any thing but what I verily believe is good in itself, 
and will be esteemed so by God 136 

Resol. IV. I am resolved, by the grace of God, to 
do all things for the glory of God. . 138 

Resol. V. I am resolved, by the grace of God, to 
mingle such recreations with my business, as to far- 
ther my business by my recreations 139 

Concerning my Relations. 

Resol. I. I am resolved, by the grace of God, to ho- 
nour and obey the king or prince, whom God is pleas- 
ed to set over me, as well as to expect he should safe- 
guard and protect me, whom God is pleased to set 
under him 141 

Resol. II. I am resolved, by the same divine grace, 
to be as constant in loving my wife, as cautious in 
choosing her 143 

Resol. III. I am resolved, by the grace of God, to 
do my endeavour to give to God whatsoever children 
he shall be pleased to give to me, that as they are mine 
by nature they may be his by grace 1 46 

Resol. IV. I am resolved, by the grace of God, to 
do my duty to my servants, as well as expect they do 
theirstome 14S 

Resol. V. I am resolved, by the grace of God, to 
feed the flock that God shall set me over with whole- 
some food, neither starving them by idleness, poison- 
ing them with error, nor puffing them up with imper- 
tinencies 150 

Resol. VI. I am resolved, by the grace of God, to 
be as faithful and constant to my friend, as I would 
have my friend to be faithful and constant to me 152 

Concerning my Talents. 

Resol. I. I am resolved, if possible, to redeem my 
time past, by using a double diligence for the future, to 
employ and improve all the endowments both of body 
and mind, to the glory and service of my great Creator 155 



CONTENTS. 19 

ResoL II. I am resolved, by the divine grace, to 
employ my riches, the outward blessings of provi- 
dence, to the same end ; and to observe a due medium 
in the dispensing of them, as to avoid prodigality on 
the one hand -and covetousness on the other 156 

ResoL III. I am resolved, by the grace of God, to 
improve the authority God gives me over others, to 
the suppression of vice, and the encouragement of 
virtue ; and so for the exaltation of God's name on 
earth, ana* their souls in heaven 158 

ResoL IV. I am resolved, by the divine grace, to 
improve the affections God stirs up in others towards 
me, to the stirring up their affections towards God... 160 

ResoL V. I am resolved, by the grace of God, to 
improve every good thought to the producing of good 
affections in myself, and as good actions with respect 
toGod 162 

ResoL VI. I am resolved, by the grace of God, to 
improve every affliction God lays upon me, as an earn- 
est or token of his affection towards me 1 63 

PART SECOND. 

On the Education of a Christian, 

THE advantage of being well grounded in the Chris- 
tian religion 171 

The w^ant of this is the occasion of so little true religion 

amongus 172 

The direction of the church in this behalf, and of God 

himself 172 

The obligation on parents to observe it 173 

The church catechism most easy, and yet most full 

and comprehensive 174? 

Trie necessity of being made Christians by baptism... 175 

And that for children as well as for adult persons 1 76 

The promise made at baptism implies the necessity of 

Christian instruction 177 

The several parts of that promise lead to the know- 
ledge of all the rest of the catechism, viz. of the 
creed, ten commandments, Lord's prayer, and doc* 

trine of the sacraments 177 

Directions for instructing children in this catechism 178 

They must begin with them betimes 1 78 

Employ others to teach them, if they cannot do it 
themselves 179 



20 CONTENTS. 

When taught the catechism, send them for further in- 
struction to the minister 180 

The great obligation upon parents to instruct their 
children 1S1 

Abraham's care in this respect rewarded, and Eli's neg- 
lect punished 182 

The advantage of it to themselves, and to their children 1 83 

An exhortation to it 184 

On the knowledge of God. 

Though all men agree about religion in general, yet 
they differ about nothing more than the particular 

exercise of it 185 

Our form of worship incomparably the best 186 

To serve God aright, it is necessary to know that God 

whom we are to serve . 187 

To know what he is 187 

And what he is, both in himself; 187 

And to us 188 

To know all his attributes; 188 

All his works ! 188 

To know that in the one Godhead there are three 

persons 189 

Our knowledge of God must also be practical and ex- 
perimental 190 

That all this knowledge is necessary towards serving 

God aright 190 

The error of the church of Rome in this particular ... 1 91 
Arguments to induce us to seek after this knowledge 1 92 

How we ought to serve God 192 

What it is to serve him 193 

Mistakes about this 194 

We must serve him with all we are ; 195 

And with all we have 195 

Pay him sincere and universal obedience 1 96 

We must serve him with a perfect heart and willing 

mind 197 

For what reason we ought thus to serve God 198 

An exhortation to it 200 

» On the Mystery of the Trinity. 

ft is impossible to be truly religious without knowing 

God 205 

Which we cannot truly do but by the light of revelation: 203 
Which alone discovers to us the mystery of the Trinity 203 
Into which our Saviour commands all nations to be 
baptized 203 



CONTENTS. 21 

Where we must consider the work he sends his apos- 
tles about 204 

What is meant by teaching 204 

The mistake which occasioned the sect of Anabaptists 205 
Our Saviour speaks not of teaching before baptism, 

but after it 205 

So that infant baptism is commanded in those very 

worlds which are pretended to forbid it 205 

The large extent of the commission here given 206 

Not understood by the apostles themselves till inter- 
preted from heaven 207 

The manner of admitting all nations into Christ's church 207 
The church always baptized in the name of the three 

persons 207 

The Trinity of persons proved from the scriptures of 

the Old Testament 209^ 

And especially of the New 210 

The Godhead of each person ; 211 

Particularly of the Son 211 

(Who otherway s could not be our Saviour) 211 

And of the Holy Ghost 212 

The order of the persons 214 

Why the Father is the first 215 

Why the Son the second 215 

Why the Holy Ghost the third 2l6 

His procession from the Son . . .. 217 

Inferences from the whole 217 

The conclusion 219 

On Worldly Riches, Section I. 
Why Christians, notwithstanding the excellency of 

their religion, lead as bad lives as other men 221 

This cannot be owing to any defect in the gospel ; ... 221 
But proceeds from being too much concerned for the 

things of this world „ 223 

The love of money is the root of all evil 223 

Where, by money the apostle means the things of this 

world 223 

In what the love of these consists 224 

How the love of money is the root of all evil 22 5 

Of all the evils of which we are-guilty, viz. of sins of 

omission, 226 

And commission j , 228 

Of all the evil which we suffer in this life, ......... 230 

And fear in the next 230 

Directions for taking off our affections from the things 
of this world 232 



22 CONTEXTS. 

On Worldly Riches, Section II. 

Timothy first bishop of the province of Ephesus 234 

He and all ministers enjoined to preach with authority 235 

To charge not only the poor but the rich 238 

Whom the apostle means by them that are rich 238 

Why they are charged not to be high-minded 239 

Why not to trust in uncertain riches 240 

What good they .are enjoined to do 241 

Works of piety towards God .> 241 

Works of charity towards the poor 243 

And to be rich in good works ; 243 

Which are our principal riches 244 

Ready to distribute '. 245 

Willing to communicate 245 

The reward promised to this duty 246 

On Self-Denial. 

The introduction 248 

Mistaken notions about Christianity 2 49 

How to know what it is to be a true Christian 250 

It is not so easy to be as some imagine 251 

They that will be such, must deny themselves 251 

Deny their reason in matters of divine revelation which 

areaboveit 252 

Their wills in submission to God's 2,53 

And their affections 254 

And the enjoyment of their estates, when they come 

in competition with their duty 255 

They must deny themselves in those sins and lusts 

they are used to indulge 255 

And must renounce their own righteousness ; 256 

Which will not justify, but rather condemn 257 

Why we must thus deny ourselves » . . . . 258 

We must also take up the cross ; 260 

W T hich they only do, who suffer for conscience 26l 

The reasonableness of this duty 262 

An exhortation to it 263 

On S hiving to enter in at the Strait Gate. 

All must expect ere long to be in another world 264 

Either of endless happiness, 264 

Or of endless misery 265 

Our Saviour's direction in this case 266 

That to happiness narrow and difficult 266 

It implies the forsaking of all sin 267 

The performance of many hard duties 267 



CONTENTS. 25 

Yet it is worth striving to obtain it 269 

For, though hard, yet it is possible 273 

We are invited to it by God himself ; 274* 

Who affords us all necessary means to obtain it 274- 

The difficulties will soon be over 275 

Heaven will make amends for all , 276 

In order hereto we must first resolve, 276 

And then set upon a new life, 278 

Depending entirely upon the merits of Christ ; 278 

Praying for the assistance of his grace ; « 278 

And waiting his answer to our prayers 279 

On the Imitation of Christ, 

Christ came into the world to save sinners 279 

Paying, by his death, the debts we owe to God ; 280 

Giving us a pattern of holiness in his life, 281 

More perfect than any before or since, 281 

Which we are bound to follow 282 

But we must not presume to follow Christ in -what he 

didasGod, ., 282 

Nor in what he did as God-man v. 283 

But only in what he did as mere man 284 

Both in his behaviour towards men ; 284 

In his duty to his parents, 284 

And to his governors 285 

In his meekness towards all men 286 

In his bounty and goodness to all, even to his enemies 286 

And in his piety towards God, 287 

Increasing in wisdom as in stature 288 

Though, as man, his knowledge was finite, yet that 

implies no imperfection or sin., 288 

Such ignorance is no sin 289 

But only the ignorance of what we ought to know ... 289 
At least we should thus increase in godly wisdom when 

grownup 289 

Teaeh our children after Christ's example 289 

Who as he grew in godly wisdom when a child, also 
used that wisdom when grown, and devoted him- 
self wholly to the service of God ; 289 

His resignation to God's will, love of him, zeal for 
him, trust in him, were also most exemplary ...... 291 

So were also his external acts of devotion, frequently 

retiring to pray 291 

The meaning of proseucke , 291 

Frequenting the synagogue on the sabbath .- 292 

An exhortation to follow Christ 1 292 






24 , CONTENTS. 

On our Call and Election. 

Many are called but few chosen, a hard saying 295 

The Jews rejecting Christ's invitation, the Gentiles 

are called 097 

What is meant by being called 297 

We are called from darkness to light .". 298 

From superstition and idolatry to the true worship ... 298 

From sin unto holiness 298 

From temporal things to eternal 299 

From misery to happiness 300 

God hath called some by immediate revelations 300 

He calls all by his works and providences 301 

But our Saviour means his call by the ministry of his 

word 301 

That many have been, and are thus called, 302 

But few chosen 304 

Not absolutely, but com paratively few -. 304 

Only such as do God'swill 306 

No atheistical persons 307 

None that are ignorant of the principles of religion... 308 

On the Appearance of Christ the Sim of Righteousness. 

Why the scripture represents spiritual things by sen- 
sual objects; 321 

As, Christ's coming ; by the rising of the Sun of Righ- 
teousness 322 

To burn up the wicked 322 

But with healing in his wings, to such as fear God, 

that is, to all true believers 323 

This Sun is the object only of our faith 324 

He gave some light before his rising 324 

Christ is often foretold under this emblem 325 

Is properly styled the Sun with respect both to what 

he is in himself v 325 

And to what he is to us, the fountain of our light and 

of our life 325 

(Who by nature are dead in sins) 327 

And of all our joy and comfort 329 

Of our fruitf ulness in good works ; .330 

Which receive all their lustre from the reflection of his 
righteousness, as colours owe their being to the re- 
flection of the sun 331 

The Sun of righteousness thus displayed, 332 

By a lively faith 333 

Would have a great influence on the holiness and hap- 
ness of our lives » 33 



1 



THOUGHTS 



ON 



RELIGION. 



%^V%V%'V%^V»- "*■%•■* 



"\TTHEN, in my serious thoughts, and more retired me- 
** dilations, I am got into the closet of my heart, and 
there begin to look within myself, and consider what I 
am, I presently find myself to be a reasonable creature : 
for was I not so, it would be impossible for me thus to 
reason and reflect. But, am I a reasonable creature ? 
Why then, I am sure, within this veil of flesh there dwells 
a soul, and that of a higher nature, than either plants or 
brutes are endued with ; for they have souls indeed, but 
yet they know it not, and that because their souls, or ma- 
terial forms, as the philosophers term them, are not any- 
thing really and essentially distinct from the very matter 
of their bodies ; which being not capable of a reflective 
act, though they are, they know it not, and though they 
act, they know it not ; it being impossible for them to look 
within themselves, or to reflect upon their own existence 
or actions. But it is not so with me ; I not only know I 
have a soul, but that I have such a soul, which can con- 
sider of itself, and deliberate of every particular action that 
issues from it. Nay, 1 can consider, that I am now con- 
sidering of my own actions, and can reflect upon myself 
reflecting; insomuch, that had I nothing else to do, I 
could spin out one reflection upon another, to infinity. 

And, indeed, was there never another argument in the 
world to convince me of the spiritual nature of my sou!,, 
this alone would be sufficient to wrest the belief and con- 
fession of it from me : for what below a spirit can thus 
reflect upon itself ? or, what below a spirit can put forth 
itself into such actions, as I find I can exercise myself in ? 
My soul can, in a moment, . mount from earth to heaven, 
fly from pole to pole, and view all the courses and motions 
of the celestial bodies, the sun, moon, and stars ; and then 
the next moment returning to myself again, I can cons> 

B 



Z6 THOUGHTS ON RELIGION. 

der where I have been, what glorious objects have been 
presented to my view ; and wonder at the nimbleness and 
activity of my soul, that can run over so many millions of 
miles, and finish so great a work in so small a space of 
time. And are such like acts as these, the effects of dros- 
sy earth, or impenetrable matter ? Can any thing below a 
spirit raise itself so much beyond the reach of material 
actions. 

But stay a little ; what is this soul of mine that I am 
now speaking of, that it is so nimble in its actions, and so 
spiritual in its nature ? Why, it is that which actuates and 
informs the several organs and members of my body, and 
enables me not only to perform the natural actions of life 
and sense ; but likewise to understand, consult, argue, 
and conclude ; to will and nill, hope and despair, desire 
and abhor, joy and grieve, love and hate ; to be angry 
now, and again appeased. It is that by which at this 
very time, my head is inditing, my hand is writing, and 
my heart resolving, what to believe, and how to practise. 
In a word, my soul is myself; and therefore when I speak 
of my soul, I speak of no other person but myself. 

Not as if I totally excluded this earthly substance of my 
body from being a part of myself ; I know it is. But I 
think it most proper and reasonable to denominate myself 
from my better part : for, alas ! take away my soul, and 
my body falls of course, into its primitive corruption, and 
moulders into the dust, from whence it was first taken. All 
jiesh is grass, says the prophet, and all the goodliness there- 
of is as the flower qfthejield. And this is no metaphorical 
expression, but a real truth ; for what is that which I feed 
upon, but merely grass digested into corn, flesh, and the 
like ; which by a second digestion, is transfused and con- 
verted into the substance of my body ? And thence it is, 
that my body is but like the grass, or flower of the field, 
fading, transient, and momentary, to-day flourishing in 
all its glory, to-morrow cut down, dried up, and wither- 
ed. But now, how far is this beneath the spiritual and in- 
corruptible nature of my immortal soul ? which subsists of 
itself, and can never be dissolved, being not compounded 
of an earthly or elementary matter, as the body is, but is 
a pure spiritual substance infused into me by God, to 
whom, after a short abode in the body, it is to return, 
and to live and continue for ever, either in a state of hap- 
piness, or misery, in another life. 

But must it so indeed ? How much then does it concern 



THOUGHTS ON RELIGION. £7 

me, seriously to bethink myself, where I had best to lead 
this everlasting life, in the heavenly mansions of eternal 
glory, or else in the dreadful dungeon of infernal misery ? 
but betwixt these, (as there is no medium, so) there is no 
comparison ; and therefore, I shall not put it to the ques- 
tion, which place to choose to live in ; but without giving 
the other that honour to stand in competition with it, I, 
this morning, with the leave of the most high God, do 
choose the land of Canaan, the kingdom of heaven, to be 
the lot of mine inheritance, the only seat of bliss and 
glory for my soul to rest and dwell in, to all eternity. 

But heaven, they say, is a place hard to come at, yea, 
the king of that glorious place hath told me, that strait is 
the gate, and narrow is the way, that leads to eternal life, 
and that there be but few that find it, Matt. vii. 14. Yea, 
and that many shall seek to enter in, and shall not be able, 
Luke iii. 24. What therefore must I do ? Why, 1 must 
either resolve to make it my whole business to get to hea- 
ven, or else I must never hope or expect to come thither. 
Without any farther dispute, therefore, about it ; I re- 
solve, at this time, in the presence of almighty God, that 
from this da}^ forward, I will make it my whole business 
here upon earth, to look after my happiness in heaven, 
and to walk circumspectly in those blessed paths, that 
God hath appointed all to walk in, that ever expect to 
come to him. 

Now, though there be but one way ; and that a narrow 
one too, that leads to heaven ; jet there are two things 
requisite, to all those that walk in it ; and they are faith 
and obedience, to believe and to live aright. So that it as 
much behoves me, to have my faith rightly confirmed in the 
fundamentals of religion, as to have my obedience exactly 
conformed to the laws of God. And these two duties are so 
inseparably united, that the former cannot well be suppos- 
ed without the latter ; for I cannot obey what God hath 
commanded me, unless I first believe what he hath taught 
me. And they are both equally difficult, as they are ne- 
cessary : indeed, of the two, I think it is harder to lay 
the sure foundation of faith, than to build the superstruc- 
ture of obedience upon it ; for it seems next to impossible, 
for one that believes every truth, not to obey every com- 
mand that is written in the word of God. But it is not so 
easy a thing as it is commonly thought to believe the word 
of God, and to be firmly established in the necessary 
points of religion ; especially in these wicked times where- 

B 2 



28 THOUGHTS ON RELIGION'. 

in we live ; in which there are so many pernicious errors 
and damnable heresies crept into the articles of some men's 
faith, as do not only shock the foundation of the church of 
Christ, but strike at the root of all religion. The first 
thing, therefore, that by the grace of God, I am resolved 
to do, in reference to my everlasting estate, is to see my 
faith, that it be both rightly placed and firmly fixed ; that 
I may not be as a wave tossed to and fro with every wind of 
doctrine, by the winning craftiness of those that lie in wait to 
deceive ; but that I may be thoroughly settled in my faith 
and judgment concerning those things, the knowledge of, 
and assent unto which, is absolutely necessary to my fu- 
ture happiness. Let, therefore, what times soever come 
upon me ; let what temptations soever be thrown before 
me ; I am resolved, by the grace of God, steadfastly to 
believe as followeth. 

ARTICLE I. 

I believe there is One God, the Being of all beings. 

THE other articles of my faith I think to be true, be- 
cause they are so ; this is true because I think it so : 
for if there was no God, and so this article not true, I 
could not be, and so not think it true. But in that I think, 
I am sure I am ; and in that I am, I am sure there is a 
God ; for if there was no God, how came I to be ? How 
came I hither? Who gave me my being ? Myself? That 
could not be ; for before I had a being, I was nothing ; 
and therefore, could do nothing, much less make myself a 
being. Did my parents give me my being ? Alas ! they 
knew not that I should be, before I was ; and, therefore, 
certainly, could not give me my being, when I was not. 

As to my soul, (which I call myself) it is plain, they 
could not give me that, because it is a being of a spiritual 
nature, quite distinct from matter, (as my own experience 
tells me) and, therefore, could not be the product of any 
natural or material agent : for, that a bodily substance 
should give being to a spiritual one, implies a contradic- 
tion. And if it could neither make itself, nor take its rise 
From any earthly or secondary cause, 1 may certainly con- 
clude, from my own reason, as well as from divine revela- 
tion, that it must be infused by God, though I am not 
able to determine, either when, or how, it was done. 

As to my body ; indeed, I must own it was derived 



THOUGHTS ON RELIGION. £9 

from my parents, who were immediately concerned in bring- 
ing the materials of it together : but, then, who made up 
these coarse materials into the form or figure of a body ? 
Was this the effect of natural generation ? But how came 
my parents by this generative power ? Did they derive it, 
by succession, from our first parents in paradise ? Be it so. 
But whence came they ? Did they spring out of the earth ? 
No, what then ? Were they made by chance ? This could 
not be ; for as chance seldom or never produces any one 
effect that is regular and uniform, so it cannot be suppos- 
ed, that a being of such admirable beauty, symmetry, and 
proportion, and such a nice contexture of parts, as the 
body of a man is, should ever be jumbled together by a 
fortuitous concourse of atoms, which nothing but the chi- 
meras of Epicuras could ever reduce into a regular form 
and composition. 

And the like may be said of all other created beings in 
the world. For there is no natural cause can give being to 
any thing, unless it has that being it gives, in itself; for it is 
a received maxim in philosophy, that nothing can give 
what it has not. And so, however the bodies of men, or 
brutes, or plants, may now, in the ordinary course of na- 
ture, be produced by generation, yet there must needs be 
some one supreme almighty Being in the world, that has 
the being of all other beings in itself; who first created 
these several species ; and endued them with this genera- 
tive power to propagate their kind. And this supreme 
Being is that which we call God. 

Hence it is, that there is not a leaf, no not a line, in 
this great book of the creation, wherein we may not clear- 
ly read the existence and perfections of the great and glo- 
rious Creator, and that even by the glimmering light of 
nature. For who is it that bedecked yonder stately cano- 
py of heaven, with those glittering spangles the stars ? 
Who is it that commands the sun to run his course and the 
moon to ride her circuit so constantly about the world ? 
Who is it that formed me so curiously in my mother's 
womb ? Who is it, that gives my stomach power to digest 
such variety of meats into chyle, and my heart or liver to 
turn them all to blood : and thence to send each particle 
to its proper place, and all to keep up this crazy carcase ? 
Doubtless, these, and such like things, however ordinary 
or natural they may appear to us at present, are in them- 
selves very great and wonderful effects, that must, at first, 
be produced by some infinitely powerful and supernatural 

B 3 



$Q THOUGHTS ON RELIGION. 

agent, the high and mighty God, who is not only the 
chiefest pf beings, but the Being of all beings whatsoever. 

I say, the Being of all beings, because whatsoever ex- 
cellency or perfection is in any other tiling, is eminently, 
yea, infinitely comprehended in him ; so that he is not 
only the creature's perfection in the concrete, but in the 
abstract too ; he is not only all- wise, all-good, all-mighty, 
&c. but he is all-w r isdom, all-goodness, all-might, all-mer- 
cy-, all-justice, all-glory, &c. And as he is the ocean and 
abyss of all these perfections in himself ; so is he the foun- 
tain of them all to us. Insomuch that we have nothing, 
not so much as the least moment of life, but what is com- 
municated to us from this everliving God. And not only 
what we, poor sinful worms are, or have, but even what- 
soever those nobler creatures the angels have, it is but a 
beam darted from this sun, it is but a stream flowing from 
this overflowing fountain. 

Lift up thine eyes therefore, O my soul, and fix them a 
little upon this glorious object ! How glorious, how tran- 
scendently glorious, must he needs be, who is the Being 
of all beings, the perfection of all perfections, the very 
glory of all glories, the eternal God ! He is the glory of 
love and goodness, wdio is good, and doth good continu- 
ally unto me, though I be evil, and do evil continually 
against him, He is the glory of wisdom and knowledge, 
unto whom all the secret thoughts, the inward motions 
and retirements of my soul, are exactly known and mani- 
fest. Never did a thought lurk so secretly in my heart, 
but that his all-seeing eye could espy it out : even at this 
time, he knows what I am now thinking of, and what I 
am doing, as well as myself. And indeed, w T ell may he 
know what I think, and speak, and do, when I can nei- 
ther think nor speak, nor do any thing, unless himself be 
pleased to give me strength to do it. He is the glory of 
might and power, who did but speak the word, and there 
presently went out that commanding power from him, by 
which this stately fabric of the world was formed and fa- 
shioned. And as he created all things by the word of his 
power, so I believe, he preserves and governs all things 
by the power of the same word : yea, so great is his pow- 
er and sovereignty, that lie can as easily throw my soul 
from my body into hell, or nothing, as I can throw this 
book out of my hand to the ground: nay, he need not 
throw me into nothing ; but, as if I should let go my hold, 
the book would presently fall ; so should God but take 



THOUGHTS ON RELIGION. Ol 

away his supporting hand from under me, I should, of 
myself, immediately fall down to nothing. This, there- 
fore, is that God, whom I believe to be the Being of all 
beings ; and so the Creator, preserver, governor, and dis- 
poser of all things in the world. 

ARTICLE II. 

/ believe, that whatsoever the most high God would have me 
to believe or do, in order to his glory, and my happi- 
ness, he hath revealed to me in his holy scriptures. 

UPON the same account that I believe there is a God, I 
believe, likewise, that this God is to be worshipped ; 
the same light that discovers the one, discovering the other 
too. And therefore it is, that as there is no nation or peo- 
ple in the world, but acknowledge some deity : so there is 
none, but worship that deity which they acknowledge ; yea, 
though it be but a stick or a stone, yet if they fancy any 
thing of divinity in it, they presently perform worship and 
homage to it. Nay, that God is to be worshipped, is a 
truth more generally acknowledged, than that there is a 
God. ^No nation, I confess, ever denied the latter, but 
no particular person ever denied the former : so that the 
very persons, who through diabolical delusions, and their 
own prevalent corruptions, have suspected the existence 
of a deity, could not but acknowledge that he was to be 
worshipped, if he did exist ; worship being that which is 
contained in the very notion of a deity ; which is, that he 
is the Being of all beings, upon whom all other things or 
beings do depend, and unto whom they are beholden both 
for their essence and subsistence. And if there be such a 
Being, that is the spring and fountain of all other beings, 
it is necessary that all others should reverence and worship 
him, without whom they could not subsist. And there- 
fore it is that men are generally more superstitious in their 
worshipping than they ought to be, rather than deny that 
worship to him, which they ought to give. 

That, therefore, there is a God, and that this God is 
to be worshipped, I do not doubt, but the great question 
is, who is this God whom I ought to worship ? And, what 
is that worship which I ought to perform unto him ? The 
former I have resolved upon in the foregoing article, as the 
light of reason and my natural conscience suggested to me; 
the latter I am resolved to search out in this, viz. Which 

B 4 



52 THOUGHTS ON RELIGION. 

of all the several kinds of worship, that men perform to 
the deity, and the several religions that men profess in the 
world, I had best make choice of to profess and adhere to. 
The general inclinations which are naturally implanted in 
my soul to some religion, it is impossible for me to shift 
off; but there being such a multiplicity of religions in the 
world, I desire now seriously to consider with myself, 
which of them all to restrain these my general inclinations 
to. 

And the reason of this my inquiry is not, that I am in 
the least dissatisfied with that religion I have already em- 
braced ; but because it is natural for all men to have an 
overbearing opinion and esteem for that particular religion 
they are born and bred up in. That, therefore, I may 
not seem biassed by the prejudice of education, I am re- 
solved to prove and examine them all, that I may see and 
hold fast to that which is best. For though I do not, in 
the least, question, but that I shall upon inquiry, find the 
christian religion to be the only true religion in the world, 
yet I cannot say it is, unless I find it, upon good grounds, 
to be so indeed: for, to profess my self a christian, and be- 
lieve that christians are only in the right, because my fore- 
fathers were so, is no more than the heathens and Maho- 
metans have to say for themselves. 

Indeed, there was never any religion so barbarous and 
diabolical, but it was preferred before all other religions 
whatsoever, by them that did profess it : otherwise they 
would not have professed it. The Indians, that worship 
the devil, would think it as strange doctrine to say that 
Christ is to be feared more than the devil ; as such as be- 
lieve in Christ, think it is, to say the devil is to be pre- 
ferred before Christ. So do the Mahometans call all that 
believe not in Mahomet, as well as christians call those 
that believe not in Christ, infidels. And why, say thej r , 
may not you be mistaken, as well as we? Especially, 
when there is at least, six to one against your christian re- 
ligion ; all of which think they serve God aright, and ex- 
pect happiness thereby as well as you. So that to be a 
christian, only upon the grounds of birth or education, is 
all one, as if I was a Turk or a heathen ; for if I had been 
born amongst them, I should have had the same reason 
for their religion, as now I have for my own : the pre- 
mises are the same, though the conclusion be ever so dif- 
rerent. It is still upon the same grounds, that I profess 
fcligion, though it be another religion which I profess 



THOUGHTS ON RELIGION. 33 

upon these grounds ; so that I can see but very little dif- 
ference, betwixt being a Turk by profession, and a chris- 
tian only by education ; which commonly is the means and 
occasion, but ought by no means to be the ground of any 
religion. And hence it is that in my looking out for the 
truest religion, being conscious to myself how great an as- 
cendant Christianity hath over me, beyond the rest, as be- 
ing that religion whereinto I was born and baptized, that 
which the supreme authority has enjoined and my parents 
educated me in, that which every one I meet withal high- 
ly approves of, that which I myself have, by a long con- 
tinued profession, made almost natural to me ; I am re- 
solved to be more jealous and suspicious of this religion, 
than of the rest, and be sure not to entertain it any longer 
without being convinced, by solid and substantial argu- 
ments, of the truth and certainty of it. 

That, therefore, I may make diligent and impartial in- 
quiry into all religions, and so be sure to find out the best, 
1 shall for a time, look upon myself as one not at all inte- 
rested in any particular religion whatsoever, much less in 
the christian religion ; but only as one who desires, in ge- 
neral, to serve and obey him that made me, in a right 
manner, and thereby to be made partaker of that happi- 
ness my nature is capable of. In order to this, it will be 
necessary to propose to myself some certain marks or cha- 
racters, whereby I may be able to judge and make choice 
of the religion I intend to embrace : and they are, in ge*» 
neral, these two, viz. 

First, That is the best religion, wherein God is wor- 
shipped and served most like himself, i. e. most suitably 
and conformably to his nature and will. And, 

Secondly, Since all men naturally desire, and aspire af- 
ter happiness, and our greatest happiness consists in the 
fruition of God, that is certainly the best religion, which 
gives me the best and most comfortable assurances of be- 
ing happy with God to all eternity. 

To embrace a religion without these marks, would be 
worse than to have no religion at all; for better it is to 
perform no worship to God, than such as is displeasing to 
him ; to do him no service, than such as will be ineffec- 
tual to make me happy, and not only frustrate my expec- 
tations of bliss, but make me for ever miserable. 

The religion, then, that I am to look after, must be 
such a one, wherein I may be sure to please God, and to 
be made happy with him ; and, by consequence, such a 

B 5 



?A< THOUGHTS ON RELIGION'. 

one, wherein all the cause of his displeasure and my mise- 
ry may be removed ; and that is sin. For sin being infi- 
nitely opposite to him, as he is a Being of infinite purity 
and holiness, must certainly set me at the greatest distance 
from him, and render me most odious in his sight; and 
whosoever does so, must make me as miserable, as mise- 
ry can make me. For as our holiness consisteth in like- 
ness, so doth our happiness in nearness to God : and if it 
be our happiness to be near unto him, it must certainly 
be our misery to be at a distance from him. In enjoying 
him we enjoy all things, he being and having all things in 
himself; and so in not enjoying him, we are not only de- 
prived of all that we can enjoy, but made liable to the pu- 
nishments that are the consequence of it. 

That there is no such thing in nature, as virtue and vice, 
as good and evil, as grace and sin, is what I can by no 
means persuade myself to, for my conscience tells me, that 
there is : and not only mine, but every one that ever yet 
lived upon the face of the earth ; all people of whatsoever 
nation or language, still acknowledging sin, to be sin, and 
that the displeasing the deity, which they worship, is in- 
deed an evil that ought to be carefully avoided. And 
therefore, the very heathens did not only upbraid others 
with it, but likewise often checked themselves for it ; and 
all men naturally desire to seem though not to be holy. 
But let others say w r hat they will, I, for my own part, 
cannot but see sin in myself, by the very light of nature. 
For, my reason tells me, that if God be God, he must be 
just and perfect ; and if I be not so too, I am not like him ; 
and, therefore, must needs displease him ; it being impos- 
sible any thing should please him but what is like unto 
him. And this deformity to the will and nature of God is 
that which we call sin, or which the word sin in its proper 
notion, brings into my mind. 

And being thus conscious to myself, that I have sinned 
against my Maker, I may reasonably conclude, that as he 
is omniscient, and, by consequence, a witness of these my 
offences, so must he likewise be just in the punishment of 
them ; for it cannot stand with his justice, to put up with 
such offences, without laying suitable punishments upon 
the offender. And these punishments must be infinite 
and eternal ; for wherein doth the nature of divine justice 
consist, but, in giving to sin its just punishments as well as 
to virtue Its due rewards ? Now that the punishment of sin 
in this world, is not so much as it deserves, nor, by conse- 
quence, as much as, injustice, ought to be laid upon it, to 



THOUGHTS ON RELIGION. 3o 

me it is clear, in that every sin being committed against 
an infinite God, deserves infinite punishment ; whereas all 
the punishments we suffer in this world cannot be any 
more than finite, the world itself being no more than finite, 
that we suffer them in. 

Upon these grounds, therefore it is, that I am fully sa- 
tisfied in my conscience, that I am a sinner; that it 
cannot stand with the justice, nor the existence of God 
that made me, to pardon my sins, without satisfaction 
made to his divine justice for them; and yet, that unless 
they be pardoned, it is impossible for me to be happy here, 
or hereafter. And therefore must I look after some reli- 
gion, wherein I may be sure, my sins may be thus par- 
doned, and my soul made happy, wherein I may please 
God and God may bless me. Which, that I may be the 
better able to discover, I shall take a brief survey of all the 
religions 1 ever heard of, or believe to be in the world. 

Now, though there be as many kinds of religions as na- 
tions ; yea, almost as particular persons in the world ; yet 
may they all be reduced to these four ; the Paganish, Ma- 
hometan, Jewish, and Christian religion. 

As to the first, it is indeed of a very large extent, and 
comprehends under it all such as neither acknowledge 
Mahomet to be a prophet, nor expect a promised Messiah, 
nor believe in a crucified Jesus : and, since it is the majo- 
rity of numbers, that usually carries the vogue, let me see 
whether the paganish religion, being farther extended, and 
more generally professed than any, or indeed all the rest, 
be not the true religion, wherein God is most rightly wor- 
shipped, and I may be the most certainty saved. And here, 
when I take a view of this religion, as it is dispersed 
through several parts of Asia, Africa, and America, 1 find 
them very devout in worshipping their deities, such as 
they are, and they have great numbers of them : some 
worship the sun, others the moon and stars, others the 
earth, and other elements, serpents, trees, and the like. 
And others again pay homage and adoration to images and 
statues, in the fashion of men and women, hogs, horses, and 
other shapes ; and some to the devil himself, as in Pegu, &c. 

But now, to go no farther, this seems to me, at first 
sight to be a very strange and absurd sort of religion ; or 
rather, it is quite the reverse of it. For the true notion 
we have of religion, is the worshipping the true Gocl, in a 
true manner ; and this is the worshipping false gods in a 
false manner. For, I cannot entertain any other notion of 

B 6 



36 THOUGHTS ON RELIGION. 

God, than as one supreme almighty Being, -who made 
and governs all things, and who, as he is a spirit ought to 
be worshipped in a spiritual manner. And therefore, as 
the very supposing more deities than one implies a contra- 
diction ; so the paying divine homage, in a gross, carnal 
manner, to material and corporeal beings, which are ei- 
ther the work of men's hands, or at best, but creatures like 
ourselves, which can neither hear nor understand what we 
say to them, much less give us what we desire of them, is 
not religion, but idolatry and superstition, or rather mad- 
ness and delusion. So that this religion, I see, if I should 
embrace it, would be so far from making me happy, that 
the more zealous I should be for it, the more miserable I 
should be by it. For he that made these things cannot 
but be very angry at me, if I should give that worship to 
them, which is only due to himself; and so, the way 
whereby I expect my sins should be pardoned, they would 
be more increased ; it being a sin against the very light of 
nature, to prefer any thing before God, or to worship any 
thing in his stead ; therefore, leaving these to their super- 
stitious idolatries, and diabolical delusions, I must go and 
seek for the true religion somewhere else. 

The next religion, that hath the most suffrages and votes 
on its side, is the Mahometan religion, so called from one 
Mahomet an Arabian, who, about a thousand years ago, 
by the assistance of one Sergius, a Nestorian monk, com- 
piled a book in the Arabian tongue, which he called Alco- 
ran, which he made the rule of his followers' faith and 
manners, pretending that it was sent from heaven to him, 
by the hand of the angel Gabriel. 

This book I have perused, and must confess, find many 
tlungs in it agreeable to right reason : as that there is but 
one God, gracious and merciful, the Lord of the whole 
universe ; that this God we are to resign ourselves wholly 
to ; that all that obey him shall be certainly rewarded, 
and all that disobey him, as certainly punished ; and the 
like. But yet, I dare not venture my soul upon it, nor 
become one of the professors of it ; because, as there are 
many things consonant, so there are many things dissonant 
to the natural light that is implanted in me ; as, that God 
should swear by figs and olives, by mount Sinai, as this 
book makes him to do, in the chapter of the figs : that So- 
lomon should have an army composed of men, and devils, 
and birds ; and that he should discourse with a bird, which 
acquainted him with the affairs of the queen of Sheba, and 
the like. 



THOUGHTS OX RELIGION'. 57 

A s to the argument whereby he would persuade us, that 
this book was sent from God, viz. that there are no con- 
tradictions in it, I take to be very false and frivolous. For 
besides that there are many books compiled by men, which 
have no contradictions in them, it is certain, there are a 
great many plain contradictions in this book, which over- 
throw his suppositions. Thus, in the chapter of the table, 
he saith, that i! all that believe in God, and the resurrec- 
tion of the dead, and have done good works, shall be sav- 
ed :? but, in the chapter of gratification, he saith, ' ' all 
that do not believe in the Alcoran shall be destroyed :" and 
so in the chapter of Hod. In like manner, he tells us 
again, in the chapter of the table, that the books of the 
Old and New Testaments were sent from God, and at the 
same time, supposes that the Alcoran was sent from him 
too ; winch to me, seems impossible. For, my reason 
tells me that God, who is truth and wisdom itself, can- 
not be guilty of falsehood and contradiction. And if these 
books contradict one another, as it is evident they do in 
many instances ; it is plain, God could not be the author 
of both ; and by consequence, if the Scripture be true the 
Alcoran must of necessity be false. To instance but in 
one particular, the Alcoran says, in the chapter of wo- 
men, " God hath no son :" the scripture, in Matt. iii. 17. 
God said of Jesus, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am 
)v ell pleased ; and Heb. iv. 14, it expressly calls that Jesus, 
the Son of God ; and so in many other things. Now it is 
impossible, that both these should be true, or, by conse- 
quence, that that should be true which says both are so. 

But if this were granted, there is still another objection 
against this religion ; and that is, that the rewards therein 
promised will not avail to make me happy, though I should 
be partaker of them. For all the promises made to us in 
tills paradise, are but mere sensible pleasures ; as that we 
shall have all manner of herbs, and fruits, and drinks, and 
women with exceeding great and black eyes, as in the 
chapter of the merciful and judgment, and elsewhere; 
and such pleasures as these, though they may, indeed, af- 
fect my body, yet they cannot be the happiness of my soul. 
Indeed, I know not how this book should promise any 
higher happiness than that of the body, because it shews 
no means of attaining to it ; it shows no way, how my 
sins may be pardoned, and so my soul made happy. It 
saith, I confess, that God is gracious and merciful, and 
therefore will pardon sin ; so he is also just and righteous,, 



38 THOUGHTS OX RELIGION. 

and therefore must punish it. And how these two can 
stand together, is not manifested in the Alcoran ; and 
therefore, I dare not trust my soul with it. 

Thus, upon diligent search, have I found the two reli- 
gions, that are most generally professed, to have little or 
nothing of religion in them. I shall therefore in the next 
place, take a view of that religion which hath the fewest 
followers, and that is the Jewish. A religion, not esta- 
blished by any human laws, nor, indeed, generally pro- 
fessed in any nation, but only by a company of despicable 
people, scattered up and down the world, which as the pro- 
phet expresses it, are become a proverb of reproach, and a 
by-word among all nations whither they arc driven. The 
principles of this religion are contained in a book written 
in the Hebrew tongue, which they call the Torah, or law 
composed of several precepts, promises, and threatenings ; 
together with histories of things past, and prophecies of 
things to come : this book, they say, was written by men 
inspired by God himself; and therefore they avouch it 
not to be of human invention, but merely of divine insti- 
tution. 

This book also I have diligently read and examined into, 
and must ingenuously confess, that at the very first glance, 
methought I read divinity in it, and could not but con- 
clude, from the majesty of its style, the purity of its pre- 
cepts, the harmony of its parts, the certainty of its pro- 
mises, and the excellency of its rew r ards, that it coidd be 
derived from no other author but God himself. It is here 
only that T find my Maker worshipped under the proper no- 
tion of a deity as he is Jehovah, and that is the right man- 
ner, for we are here commanded to love and serve him with 
all our hearts, with all our souls, our might and mind, Dent, 
iv. 5. chap. x. 12. which is indeed, the perfection of all 
true worship whatsoever. And as God is here worship- 
ped aright, so is the happiness which is here entailed upon 
this true worship, the highest that it is possible a creature 
should be made capable of, being nothing less than the 
enjoyment of him we worship, so as to have him to be a 
God to us, and ourselves to be a people to him, Jer. x\\ 

Bet that which I look upon, still, as the surest charac- 

of the true religion, is, its holding forth the way, how 

I being a sinner, can be invested with this happiness, or 

how God can shew his justice, in punishing sin itself, and 

yet be so merciful, as to pardon and remit it to me, and 

to his favour ; which the religions I viewed 



THOUGHTS ON RELIGION. 3 ( J 

before did not so much as pretend to, nor offer at all at. 
And this is what this book of the law does likewise disco- 
ver to me, by shewing that God almighty would not visit 
our sins upon ourselves but upon another person ; that he 
would appoint and ordain one to be our sponsor or Media- 
tor ; who by his infinite merit, should bear and atone for 
our iniquities, and to shew his love and mercy, in justify- 
ing and acquitting us from our sins, at the same time that 
he manifests his justice, in inflicting the punishment of 
them upon this person in our stead. A method so deep 
and mysterious ; that if God himself had not revealed it, I 
am confident no mortal man could ever have discovered or 
thought of it ! 

Neither are there any doubts and scruples concerning 
this great mystery, but what this book does clearly an- 
swer and resolve ; as will appear more plainly from a dis- 
tinct consideration of the several objections that are urged 
against it. 

As, 1 . That it does not seem agreeable either to reason or 
scripture that one man should bear the sins of another ; be* 
cause every man has enough to do to bear his own burden ; 
and since sin is committed against an infinite God, and there- 
fore deserves infinite punishment, how can any finite creature 
bear this infinite punishment ? especially, it being due to so 
many thousands of people as there are in the world! 

But this book sufficiently unties this knot for me, by 
shewing me, that it is not a mere man, but God himself, 
that would bear these my sins ; even he, whose name is, 
Jehovah Tsidkenu, The Lord our righteousness, Jer. 
xxxiii. 6. where the essential name of the most high God, 
which cannot possibly be given to any, but to him, who 
is the Being of ail beings, is here given to him, who should 
thus bear my sins, and justify my person ; w T hence David 
also calleth him Lord, Psalm ex. 1 . Isaiah calleth him, The 
mighty God, Isa. ix. 6. Yea, and the Lord of hosts him- 
self, with his own mouth, calls him his fellow, Zech. xiii. 7. 

Objec. 2. But?ny reason tells me, God isa pure act, and, 
therefore, how can he suffer any punishments ? or, suppose 
he could, how can one nature satisfy for the offences tf ano- 
ther? It was man that stood guilty ; and how can it stand 
with the justice of God, not to punish man j or the sins he is 
guilty of? 

To resolve this doubt, this holy book assures me, that 
God should become man, expressly telling me, that as his 
name is, Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God, the 



46 THOUGHTS ON RELIGION. 

Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace, so should he be 
born a child, and given as a son, Isa. ix. 6. And there- 
fore, at the same time that the Lord of hosts calls him his 
fellow, he calls him a man too, Against the man that is my 
fellow, says the Lord of hosts, Zech. xiii. 7. 

Objec. 3. But if he be born as other men are, he must 
needs be a sinner, as other men be ; for such as are born by 
natural generation, must necessarily be bvni also in natural 
corruption. 

To remove this obstacle, this holy book tells me, that 
A virgin shall conceive and bear this Son, and his name shall 
be Emmanuel, Isa. vii. 14. And so being begotten, but 
not by a sinful man, himself shall be a man, but not a sin- 
ful man : and so being God and man, he is every way fit 
to meditate betwixt God and man ; to reconcile God to me, 
and me to God, that my sins may be pardoned, God's 
wrath appeased, and so my soul made happy in the en- 
joyment of him. 

But there is one thing more yet, that keeps me from set- 
tling upon this religion ; and that is, the expiration of the 
time ill which this book promiseth this person should come 
into the world ; for it is expressly said, Dan. ix. 24. that 
Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people, and upon the 
city, to finish the transgressions, and to make an end of sins, 
and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in ever- 
lasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision, and the pro- 
phecy, and to anoint the Most Holy. From which anoint- 
ing he is, in the next verse, called Messiah, the Anointed, 
(under which name he is, from hence, expected by the 
Jews) and the beginning of these seventy weeks is express- 
ly said, ver. 25. to be at the going forth of the command- 
ment to build and restore Jerusalem. Now if we understand 
these seventy weeks in the largest sense for seventy weeks, 
or sabbaths of years, as it is expressed Lev. xxv. 8. the 
time of the Messiah's coming must have been but 490 years 
after the commandment for the building of the city ; where- 
as whether we understand it of the decree and command 
that Cyrus made, 2 Chron. xxxvi. 22, 23. Ezra i. 1, 2, S. 
or that which Darius made, Ezra vi. or that Artaxerxes 
made, chap. vii. I say, whichsoever of these decrees we 
understand this prophecy of, it is evident that it is above 
2000 years since they were all made ; and therefore, the 
time of this person's coming hath been expired above 1600 
years at least. 

So likewise doth this book of the law, (as they call it) 



THOUGHTS ON RELIGION. 41 

assure us, that the sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor 
a lawgiver from between his feet until Shiloh come, Gen. 
xlix. 10. where the Jews themselves, Jonathan and Onke- 
los, expound the word Shiloh by Messiah ; and so doth 
the Jerusalem targum too. Now it is plain that there hath 
been neither sceptre nor lawgiver in Judah, nor any poli- 
tical government at all among the Jews, for above 1600 
years ; which plainly shews either their prophecies and 
expectations of a Messiah are false, or that he came into 
the world so many ages since, as were here prefixed. 

So likewise it was expressly foretold in this book, that 
the glory of the second temple shoidd be greater than the glo- 
ry °~f th e former, Hag. ii. 9. Now the Jews themselves 
acknowledge, that there were five of the principal things 
which were in the first, wanting in the second temple, 
viz. 1. The ark with the mercy-seat and cherubim. 2. The 
Shechinah, or divine presence. 3. The holy prophetical 
Spirit. 4. The Urim and Thummim. 5. The heavenly 
fire : and from the want of these five things they say, the 
words / will be glorified, Hag. i. 8. wants an he at the 
end, which in numeration denotes five. Yea, and when 
the very foundation of the second temple was laid, the old 
men that had seen the first, wept to see how far short it 
was likely to come of the former, Ezra iii. 12. To make 
up therefore the glory of the second temple, to be greater 
than the glory of the first, notwithstanding the want of so 
many glorious things they must of necessity, understand 
it of the coming of the Messiah into it, who, ver. 8. is 
called, The desire of all nations. Whereas the Jews them- 
selves cannot but confess that this temple hath been de- 
molished above 1 600 years ; and therefore, it is impossible 
for the Messiah to come into it, and for its glory to be great- 
er than the glory of the first temple ; and, by consequence, 
for the word which they profess to believe in to be true. 

Indeed, the time of the Messiah's coming was so ex- 
pressly set down in these and the like places, that Elias, 
one of their great rabbies, gathered from hence that the 
world should last 6000 years, 2000 without the law, 2000 
under the law, and 2000 under the Messiah, Sanh. c. 11. 
which computation of the Messiah's coming after 4000 
years, from the beginning of the world, comes near the 
time of the sceptre's departing from Judah, and the end of 
Daniel's seventy weeks. Which shews, that this rabbi 
was fully convinced, that it was about that time that the 
"Messiah should come. And therefore it was, likewise^ 



42 THOUGHTS ON RELIGION. 

that about l600 years ago, the Jews did so generally ex- 
pect his coming ; and that so many did pretend to be the 
person, as Baz-Cozbah, who about that time, vaunting 
himself to be the man, almost the whole nation unani- 
mously concurred in following him, insomuch, that, as 
the Jews report, there were no less than 400,000, or as 
others, 500,000 men slain by Adrian the emperor, in the 
city Bitter, all fighting in defence of this pretended Mes- 
siah. There were likewise many others that fancied them- 
selves to be the man, and were esteemed by some, till ma- 
nifestedly convinced of their error, as we may read in some 
of their books. And unto this day many of them hold that 
he is already come, but that, by reason of their sins, he 
is not yet revealed unto them. 

Hence it is, that my natural reason draws me into this 
dilemma, that either that book which the Jews receive as 
the word of God is indeed not so ; or else that they do not 
rightly apply it : and so, that either their religion is a false 
religion, or else their profession of it a false profession : 
and therefore, I must go hence and seek me some other 
religion to fix my soul upon. Not as if my reason told 
me, that all the prophecies which I have mentioned here, 
were false in themselves, but only that they appear so to 
this sort of professors; for, for my own part, I cannot 
shake off my faith in this law, which they profess to be- 
lieve in ; especially now I have so seriously perused it, and 
so deliberately weighed and considered of it. Neither can 
I believe that ever any Mahometan or Indian, that did, 
without prejudice, set himself to read it through, and to 
examine every particular, by the light of unbiassed reason, 
could say, it was ever hatched in a human brain ; but 
that it is indeed of a heavenly stamp and divine authority. 
And, therefore, though I am forced by the strength of 
reason to shake hands with this religion, yet the same rea- 
son will not suffer me to lay aside that law, which they do 
profess, but only their profession of it. So that whatso- 
ever religion I settle upon, my natural conscience still 
commands me to stick close to this book of the Jewish law, 
and to receive and entertain it as the word of the glorious 
Jehovah, the Being of all beings. 

Well, there is but one religion more generally professed 
in the world, that I am to search into ; which, if upon 
good grounds, I eannn* fix upon, I shall be the most mi- 
serable of all creatures ; and that is, the christian religion, 
60 named from Jesus Christ, whose doctrine, life, and 



THOUGHTS ON RELIGION. 4>3 

death, is recorded by four several persons, in a book which 
they call the Gospel. And this book appears to me to be 
of undoubted authority, as to the truth and certainty of 
those things that are therein recorded. For, if they had 
been false, both the persons that wrote them, and he of 
whom they wrote had so many malicious enemies ready, 
upon all occasions, to accuse them, that they had long ago 
been condemned for lies and forgeries. But now, these 
writings have been extant for above 1600 years, and ne- 
ver so much as suspected, but even by the worst of ene- 
mies, acknowledged to be a true relation of what passed in 
the world about that time ; my reason will not permit me 
to be their first accuser, but enjoins me to receive them, 
under that notion, in which they have been brought down 
to me through so many generations, without any inter- 
ruption whatsoever. For this general reception on all 
hands, is a sufficient ground for me to build my faith 
upon, as to the truth of the relation, though not a suffici- 
ent ground to believe every thing contained in the book, 
to be the word of God himself; for, in this particular, it 
is not the testimony of others that I am to build upon, but 
its own ; I may read its verity in man's testimony, but its 
divinity only in its own doctrines. 

This book, therefore, I have also diligently perused, 
and find it expressly asserts, that Jesus Christ, whose life 
and death it records, was indeed that person, who was 
long promised by God, and expected by the Jews : and, 
that all the prophecies under the old law, concerning that 
Messiah, God-man, were actually fulfilled in this person: 
which if, upon diligent search, I can find to be true, I 
shall presently subscribe both with hand and heart, to this 
religion. It is a comfort to me that it acknowledged the 
Jewish law to be sent from God ; for, truly, ifitdidnot, 
my conscience would scarcely permit me to give any cre- 
dit to it ; being so fully convinced that that book is indeed 
of a higher extract than human invention, and of greater 
authority than human institution. And therefore it is that 
I cannot, I dare not believe, but that every particular pro- 
phecy contained in it, either is, or shall be, certainly ful- 
filled, according to every circumstance of time and place 
mentioned therein ; and by consequence, that this pro- 
phecy, in particular, concerning the Messiah's coming, is 
already past ; the time wherein it was foretold he should 
come, being so long ago expired. So that I do not now 
doubt whether the Messiah be come or no, but whether 



44 THOUGHTS ON RELIGION'. 

this Jesus Christ, whom this book of the gospel speaks of, 
was indeed the person. And this I shall best find out by 
comparing the Christian's gospel with the Jewish law ; or 
the histories of Christ under the one, with the prophecies 
of the Messiah, under the other; still concluding, that if 
whatsoever was foretold concerning the Messiah, was ful- 
filled in this Jesus Christ, then he was indeed the Messiah 
that was to come into the world. And to make this com- 
parison the more exact, I shall run through the several 
circumstances that attended his birth, life, death, resur- 
rection, and ascension, and shew how punctually the pro- 
phecies were fulfilled in every particular. 

And first, for the birth of the Messiah, the law saith, he 
was to be born of the seed of Abraham, Gen. xxii. 18. and 
David, 2 Sam. vii. 17. and of the stem of Jesse, Isa. xi. 1. 
from whence he is frequently called by the Jews, Bar- 
David, the son of David. The gospel saith, Jesus Christ 
was the son of David, the son of Abraham, Matt. i. 1 . The 
law, that he was to be born of a virgin, Isa. vii. 14. The 
gospel, that Mary, a virgin, brought forth this Jesus, Matt, 
i. 18. Lukei. 11, SI, 35. chap. ii. 5, 6, 7. The law, that 
he was to be born at Bethlehem Ephratah, Mic. v. 2. The 
gospel, that this Jesus was born there, Matt. ii. 1. Luke 
iv. 5, 6. 

The law says, that he was to be brought out of Egypt, 
Hos. xi. 1. The gospel, that Jesus was called thence, 
Matt. ii. 19, 20. The law saith, that one should go before 
the Messiah, Mai. iii. 5. and should cry in the wilderness, 
Isa. xl. 3. The gospel, that John Baptist did so before 
Christ, Matt. iii. 1, 2. Mark i. 2, 3. The law, that the 
Messiah should preach the doctrine of salvation in Galilee, 
who sitting before in darkness should see great light, Isa. 
ix. 1, 2. The gospel, that Jesus did so, Matt. iv. 12, 23. 
The law, that in the Messiah's days, the eyes of the blind 
should be opened, and the ears of the deaf should be unstojj- 
ped, and the lame leap, and the tongue of the dumb sing, Isa. 
xxxv. 5, 6. The gospel, that it was so in the days of Je- 
sus Christ, Matt. iv. 23. chap. xi. 5. But for all these 
wonders and miracles, the law saith, they should hear, but 
not understand, and see, yet not perceive, Isa. vi. <). And 
the gospel, that seeing they did not see, and hearing they 
did not hear, neither did they understand, Matt. xiii. 13. 
Mark iv. 12. The law, that he should be despised and re- 
jected of men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief 
Isa. liii. 3. The gospel, that Jesus Clu'ist had no where io 



THOUGHTS ON RELIGION. 13 

lay his head, Matt. viii. 20. His soul was exceeding sor* 
ronful even unto death, Matt. xxvi. 38. yea, he was in an ago- 
ny, and his sweat was as drops of blood, Luke xxii. 2 4. so 
well was he acquainted with grief. The law says, that 
he should ride into Jerusalem, upon an ass, and upon a colt, 
the foal of an ass, Zech. ix. 9« And the gospel, that Je- 
sus Christ, as he was going to Jerusalem, having found an 
ass, sat thereon, John xii. 14. Matt. xxi. 6. At which 
time, the law saith, the people should cry, Hosa?ina, 
blessed is he thatcometh in the name of the Lord, Psal. cxviii. 
26. The gospel, that the multitude did so to Christ, Matt, 
xxi. 9. The law, that one of his own familiar friends, in 
whom he trusted, which did eat of his bread, should lift up 
his heel against him, Psal. xli. 9- The gospel, that Judas 
who was one of Christ's disciples, and so eat of his bread, 
did betray him into the hands of the Jews, Matt. xxvi. 47- 
Luke xxii. 46. The law, that he should be prized at, and 
sold for thirty pieces of silver, with which should be bought 
the potter's field, Zech. xi. 12, 13. The gospel, that 
they covenanted with Judas, to betray Jesus for thirty 
pieces of silver, Matt. xxvi. 15. with which they after- 
wards bought the potter's field, chap, xxvii. 7» The law, 
that he should be numbered amongst transgressors, Isa. liii. 
12. The gospel, that Jesus was crucified betwixt two thieves, 
Mark xv. 27. Matt, xxvii. 38. The law, that he shcndd be 
jvounded and bruised, Isa. liii. 5. The gospel, that they 
scourged Jesus, Matt, xxvii. 20. and smote him, Mark xv. 
19. The law saith, they should pierce his hands and feet, 
Psal. xxii. 16. Zech. xii. 10. The gospel, that they cruci- 
fied Jesus, Matt, xxvii. 35. Luke xxiii. which was a death, 
wherein they used to pierce the hands and feet of those 
that were put to death, and nailed them to the cross. But 
though they should pierce his flesh, yet the law saith, that 
they should not break his bones, no not one of them, Exod. 
xii. 46. Numb. xi. 12. Psal. xxxiv. 20. The gospel, that 
they brake not the legs of Christ, John xix. 33, 36. The 
law, that they who should see him, should laugh him to 
scorn, shoot out their lips, and shake their heads, saying, he 
trusted in the Lord that he would deliver him, let him deliver 
him, seeing he delighted in him, Psal. xxii. 8. The gospel, 
that the scribes and elders did so to Christ, Matt, xxvii. 42, 
43. The law saith, they should give him gall for meat, 
and vinegar to drink, Psal. lxix. 2 1 . And the gospel, that 
they gave Christ vinegar to drink, mingled with gall, Matt. 
xxvii. 34, 48. The law, that they should part his gar- 



46 THOUGHTS ON RELIGION. 

merits amongst them, and cast lots upon his vesture, Psal. 
xxii. 19. The gospel, that they parted Jesus' garments, 
casting losts, Matt, xxvii. 34. John xix. 23. Mark xv. 24. 

And as for the time of this Jesus' coining into the world, 
it is certain, that this Jesus came before the second temple 
was demolished ; for it is said, that he went into it, Luke 
xix. 45 ; yea, himself, taught daily in it, ver. 17- by which 
means the glory of the second temple was greater than 
the glory of the first, according to the prophecy, Hag. 
ii. 9- And as for Jacob's prophecy, that the sceptre should 
not depart from J udah, nor the lawgiver, till Shi loh, or the 
Messiah came, Gen. xlix. 10. it is certain that it did not 
depart from Judah, till Herod, by the senate of Rome, was 
made king of Judea, in whose days this Jesus was born, 
Matt. ii. 1. Luke i. 5. And so did Daniel's 70 weeks, or 
4fj0 years, exactly reach unto, and were determined in, 
the days of this Jesus, as might easily be demonstrated. 
So that all the old prophecies, concerning the time of the 
Messiah's coming, are perfectly fulfilled in this Jesus of 
Nazareth. 

But farther, the law saith that though the Messiah 
should be crucified, yet God will not leave his soul in hell, 
nor suffer his holy one to see corruption, Psal. xvi. 10. and 
that when God should make his soul an offering for sin, he 
should see his seed, and prolong his days, Isa. liii. 10. which 
plainly implies, that though the Messiah should die, yet 
he should rise again, and that within a few days too, other- 
wise he would have seen corruption. Now the gospel saith, 
that this Jesus rose from the dead, Matt, xxviii. 6*. Luke 
xxiv. 6. and that he was seen of several after his resurrec- 
tion, as of Mary Magdalen, Matt, xxviii. 9- of the eleven 
disciples, ver. 16, 17, 18. Mark xvi. 14, of the two that 
were going to Emmaus, Luke xxiv. 13, 14, 15. of Peter, 
ver. 34. and of the disciples that were gathered together, the 
door being shut, John xx. 19. And, to be sure it was 
himself and not an apparition, Thomas, one of the twelve, 
thrust his hands into his side, and found it flesh and blood, 
indeed as before, John xx. 27- And lie eat before them, 
Luke xx. 43. which it is impossible for a spirit to do ; yea, 
he was seen of above five hundred at one time, 1 Cor. xv. 6. 
and of Paul himself, ver. 8. Neither did he lie so long as 
to see corruption, for he was buried but the day before the 
sabbath, Mark xv. 4'?. and rose the day after, chap. xv. 1. 

Lastly, lie was not only to rise again, but the law saith, 
he was to ascend on high, to lead captivity captive, and to 



THOUGHTS ON RELIGION. 4? 

give gifts to men, Psal. Ixviii. IS. Now this cannot but be 
an undoubted character of the Messiah, not only to rise 
from the dead, but to ascend up to heaven, and thence to 
disperse his gifts among the children of men ; and that 
Jesus did so, is likewise evident from the gospel ; for, af- 
ter he had spoken with them, he was received up into heaven, 
and there sat at the right hand of God, Mark xvi. 1 9. Luke 
xxiv. 51. And he gave such gifts to men, as that his dis- 
ciples, of a sudden, were enabled to speak all manner of 
languages, Acts ii. 8. to work many signs and wonders, chap. 
v. 12. to heal all manner of diseases, ver. 15, 16. yea., with 
a word speaking, to cure a man lame from his mother s womb, 
chap. iii. 6, 7. 

Thus the gospel seems to me to be a perfect transcript 
of the law, and the histories of Jesus nothing else but the 
prophecies of Christ turned into a history. And, when to 
this I join the consideration of the piety of the life which 
this man led, the purity of the doctrine which he taught, 
and the miraculousness of the works he wrought, I can- 
not but be farther confirmed in the truth of what is here 
related. For the miracles which he wrought, as the heal- 
ing of the sick with a word, of his mouth, raising the dead> 
feeding so many thousands with five loaves, and the like, 
were powerful and convincing, that his very enemies, that 
_ would not believe him to be the Messiah, could scarce 
deny him to be a God, Joseph. Antq. 1. xviii. c. 4. And 
it is to this day, a tenet amongst some of them, that the 
miracles which Jesus did, were not the delusions and jug- 
glements of the devil, but real miracles, wrought as they 
say, by the virtue of the name of God, Jehovah, which 
he had gotten out of the temple. By which it is plain, 
they acknowledged God to be the author of them, which 
I cannot see how he should be, unless they were agreeable 
to his will, and for the glory of his name. 

Neither was the doctrine of the gospel only established 
at the first, but likewise propagated by miracles afterwards, 
as it was necessary it should be, for, if it had been propa- 
gated without miracles, itself had been the greatest mira- 
cle of all. It was, no doubt, a great miracle, that a doc- 
trine so much contrary to flesh and blood, should be propa- 
gated by any means whatsoever ; but a far greater, that it 
should be propagated by a company of simple and illiterate 
men, who had neither power to force, nor eloquence to 
persuade men to the embracing of it. For who would 
have thought that such persons as these were, should ever 



48 THOUGHTS ON RELIGION*. 

make any of the Jews, who expected a king for their Mes- 
siah, to advance them to temporal dignities, or believe, 
that that Jesus, whom themselves scourged and crucified 
at Jerusalem, was the person ? Or, that they should be 
able to propagate the gospel amongst the Gentiles also, 
who neither believed in the true God, nor expected any 
thing of a Messiah to come and redeem them ? But this 
they did, and brought over not only many persons, but 
whole nations and countries to the profession of the gos- 
pel ; propagating this most holy doctrine among the most 
barbarous and sinful people in the world, maugre all the 
opposition that the world, the flesh, and the devil, could 
make against it. Now can any man, that exerciseth his 
reason think they did all this purely by their own strength? 
No sure, none of these wonderful effects could ever have 
been produced by any thing less than the wisdom, and 
power, and faithfulness of their Lord and master, whose 
service they were engaged in, and who promised to be 
with them to the end of the world, Matt, xxviii. 20. Ques- 
tionless, it was nothing else but the Spirit of the most high 
God, that went along with them, and accompanied the 
word they preached ; otherwise, it never could have made 
such deep impression upon the hearts of them that heard 
it, as not only to command their attention, but to hinder 
them from resisting, when they strove and endeavoured 
to do it, the power and authority by which the disciples 
spake. 

And now, methinks, 1 begin to perceive this divine spi- 
rit is come upon me too, and seems, by its powerful influ- 
ence, to be working up my heart into a thorough persua- 
sion, that it is Christ, and Christ alone, I am to cast my 
soul upon ; that it is he alone, that is the way to life, and 
his word aione, the word of life, which whosoever believes, 
and is baptized into, shall be saved, and he that belie vet h not, 
shall be damned. Away, then, with your Pagan idola- 
tries, your Mahometan superstitions, and Jewish ceremo- 
nies ; it is the Christian religion alone, that I am resolved 
to live and die in, because it is this alone, in which I am 
taught to worship God aright, to obtain the pardon and re- 
mission of my sins, and to be made eternally happy. And, 
since all its doctrines and precepts are contained in the holy 
scriptures, it is necessary that I shall assent unto them, as 
a standing revelation of God's will, and an eternal treasure 
r divine knowledge ; whereby all, that sincerely believe 



THOUGHTS ON RELIGION. * 4$ 

in Christ, may be sufficiently instructed, as well as tho- 
roughly furnished, unto every good word and work. 

Without any more ado, therefore, I believe, and am 
verily persuaded, that all the books of the ancient law, 
with all those that have been received into the canon of the 
scripture by the church of God, since the coming of Christ, 
which w r e call the New Testament ; I say, that all these 
books, from the beginning of Genesis to the end of the 
Revelations, are indeed the word of the eternal God, dic- 
tated by his own Spirit, unto such as himself was pleased 
to employ in the writing of them ; and that they contain 
in them a perfect and complete rule of faith and manners ; 
upon the due observance of which, I cannot fail of wor- 
shipping and serving God, in such a manner, as will be 
acceptable to him here, and of enjoy ing hereafter those ex- 
ceeding great and precious promises, that he has reserved in 
heaven, for such as do so. 

Unto these books, therefore, of the law and gospel, I am 
resolved by his grace that wrote them, to conform all the 
ensuing articles of my faith, and all the actions and reso- 
lutions of my life. Insomuch that whatsoever I find it 
hath pleased his Sacred Majesty herein to insert, I believe 
it is my duty to believe ; and whatsoever he hath been 
pleased to command me, I believe it is my duty to perform, 

ARTICLE III. 

/ believe that as there is one God, so this one God is three 
Persons — Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. 

THIS, I confess, is a mystery which I cannot possibly 
conceive, yet it is a truth which I can easily believe ; 
j T ea, therefore it is so true, that I can easily believe it ; 
because it is so high, that I cannot possibly conceive it ; 
for it is impossible any thing should be true of the infinite 
Creator, which can be fully expressed to the capacities of 
a finite creature : and, for this reason, I ever did, and 
ever shall, look upon those apprehensions of God to be 
the truest, whereby we apprehend him to be the most in- 
comprehensible : and that to be the most true of God, 
which seems most impossible unto us. 

Upon this ground, therefore, it is, that the mysteries 
of the gospel, which I am less able to conceive, I think my- 
self the more obliged to believe ; especially this mystery ©f 



50 THOUGHTS ON RELIGION. 

mysteries,, the Trinity in Unity, and Unity in Trinity, which 
I am so far from being able to comprehend, or indeed to appre- 
hend, that I cannot set myself seriously to think of it, or to 
screw up my thoughts a little concerning it, but I immedi- 
ately lose myself, as in a trance, or ecstacy : that God the 
Father should be one perfect God of himself, God the Son 
One perfect God of himself, and God the Holy Ghost one 
perfect God of himself : and yet that these three should be 
but one perfect God of himself; so that one should be per- 
fectly three, and three perfectly one ; that the Father. 
Son, and Holy Ghost should be three, and yet but one ; 
but one and yet three ! O heart-amazing, thought-devour- 
ing, unconceivable mystery ! Who cannot believe it to be 
true of the glorious Deity ? Certainly, none but such as 
are able to apprehend it, which, I am sure, I cannot, and 
believe, no other creature can. And, because no creature 
can possibly conceive how it should be so, I therefore be- 
lieve it really to be so, viz, That the Being of all beings 
is but one in essence, yet three in substance ; but one na- 
ture, yet three persons ; and that those three persons in 
that one nature, though absolutely distinct from one ano- 
ther, are yet but the same God. And I believe, these 
three persons, in this one nature, are indeed to one ano- 
ther as they are expressed to be to us, that the one is really 
a Father to the other, that the other is really a Son to him, 
the third the product of both : and yet, that there is nei- 
ther first, second, nor third amongst them, either in time 
or nature. So that he that begat was not at all before him 
that was begotten, nor he that proceeded from them both, 
any whit after either of them. And therefore, that God 
is not termed Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, as if the di- 
vine nature of the one should beget the divine nature of 
the second : or the divine nature of the first and second 
should issue forth the divine nature of the third ; (for then 
there would be three divine natures, and so three Gods 
essentially distinct from one another ; by this means also, 
only the Father would be truly God, because he only 
would be essentially of and from himself, and the other 
two from him :) but what I think myself obliged to be- 
lieve, is, that it was not the divine nature, but the divine 
person of the Father which did, from eternity, beget the 
divine person of the Son ; and from the divine persons of 
the Father, and of the Son, did, from eternity, proceed 
the divine person of the Holy Ghost : and so one not be* 
ing before the other, in time, or nature, as they are from 



THOUGHTS ON RELIGION. 51 

eternity three perfectly distinct persons, so they are but 
one co-essential God. But dive not, O my soul, too deep 
into this bottomless ocean, this abyss of mysteries ! It is 
the holy of holies, presume not to enter into it ; but let this 
suffice thee, that he, who best knows himself, hath avouch- 
ed it to himself, and therefore thou oughtest to believe it, 
see Matt, xxviii. 19- Go ye therefore and teach all nations, 
baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, 
and of the Holy Ghost. And again, 1 John v. ?. There are 
three thai bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and 
the Holy Ghost, and these three are one, 

ARTICLE IV. 

I believe' that I was conceived in sin, and brought forth in 
iniquity j and that, ever since, I have been continually 
conceiving mischief, and bringing forth vanity. 

HP HIS article of my faith, I must of necessity believe, 
-*- whether I will or no ; for if I could not believe it to 
be true, I should therefore have the more cause to believe 
it to be so ; because unless my heart was naturally very 
sinful and corrupt, it would be impossible for me not to 
believe that which I have so much cause continually to be- 
wail ; or, if I do not bewail it, I have still the more cause 
to believe it ; and, therefore, am so much the more per- 
suaded of it, by how much the less I find myself affected 
with it. For, certainly, I must be a hard-hearted wretch 
indeed, steeped in sin, and fraught with corruption to the 
highest, if I know myself so oft to have incensed the wrath 
of the most high God against me, as I do, and yet not be 
sensible of my natural corruption, nor acknowledge my- 
self to be, by nature, a child of wrath, as well as others. 
For, I verily believe, that the want of such a due sense of 
myself argues as much original corruption, as murder and 
whoredom do actual pollution. And, I shall ever suspect 
those to be most under the power of that corruption, that 
labour most> by arguments, to divest it of its power. 

And, therefore, for my own part, I am resolved by the 
grace of God never to go about to confute that by wilful 
arguments, which I find so true by woeful experience. If 
there be not a bitter root in my heart, whence proceeds so 
much bitter fruit in my life and conversation ? Alas ! I can 
neither set my hand nor heart about any thing, but I still 

C 2 



52 THOUGHTS ON RELIGION. 

shew myself to be the sinful offspring of sinful parents, by- 
being the sinful parent of a sinful offspring. Nay, I do 
not only betray the in-bred venom of my heart, by poi- 
soning my common actions, but even my most religious 
performances also, with sin. I cannot pray, but I sin ; 
nay, I cannot hear, or preach a sermon, but I sin ; I can- 
not give an alms, or receive the sacrament, but I sin ; nay, 
I cannot so much as confess my sins, but my very confes- 
sions are still aggravations of them ; my repentance needs 
to be repented of, my tears want washing, and the very 
washing of my tears need still to be washed over again 
with the blood of my Redeemer. Thus, not only the 
worst of my sins, but even the best 'of my duties, speak 
me a child of Adam: insomuch that whensoever I reflect 
upon my past actions, methinks I cannot but look upon my 
whole life, from the time of my conception to this very 
moment, to be but as one continued act of sin. 

And whence can such a continued stream of corruption 
flow, but from the corrupt cistern of my heart ? And 
whence can that corrupt cistern of my heart be filled, but 
from the corrupt fountain of my nature ? Cease therefore, 
O my soul, to gainsay the power of original sin within 
thee, and labour now to subdue it under thee. But, why 
do I speak of my subduing this sin myself ? Surely, this 
would be both an argument of it, and an addition to it. 
" It is to thee, O my God, who art both the searcher and 
t( cleanser of hearts, that I desire to make my moan ! 
u It is to thee I cry out in the bitterness of my soid, O 
u wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the 
" body of this death ? Who shall ? Oh ! Who can do it, 
iC but thyself ? Arise thou, therefore, O my God, and 
" shew thyself as infinitely merciful in the pardoning, as 
" thou art infinitely powerful in the purging away of my 
a < sins." 

ARTICLE V. 

/ believe the Son of God became the Son of man, that. I the 
son of man, might become the son of God. 

OH ! how comfortably docs this raise me from the low- 
est abasement of sin and misery, which I have before 
acknowledged to be my natural state, to the highest exal- 
tation of happiness and glory, in a spiritual one! This i* 



THOUGHTS ON RELIGION. 53 

that great article of faith, by which all the benefits of our 
Saviour's death and passion are made over to me in the new- 
covenant, and by which, if I perform the conditions there- 
in required, I shall not only be retrieved from the bond- 
age and corruption that is inherent in me, as a child of 
wrath, but be justified and accepted as the son of God, 
and be made a joint heir with Christ. This a point of the 
greatest moment and concern, which, by the grace and 
assistance of him of whom I speak, and in whom I thus 
believe, I shall therefore be the more exact and particular 
in the searching and examining into. 

Now, when I say, and believe, that God became man, 
I do not so understand it, as if the divine nature took upon 
it a human person, but that a divine person took upon him 
the human nature, i. e. it was not the divine nature, in ge- 
neral, without respect to the persons, but one of the per- 
sons in the divine nature, which took flesh upon him, and 
yet, to speak precisely, it was not the divine person ab- 
stracted or distinct from the divine nature, but it was the 
divine nature in that person which thus took upon it the 
human. And this was not the first or third, but the se- 
cond person only in the sacred Trinity, that thus assumed 
our nature; and, considering the mysterious order and 
economy of the divine persons, it seems to be necessary 
that it should. 

For, first, the Father could not have become this Son 
of man, because, then, he, that had begotten from eter- 
nity, should have been begotten in time ; by which means, 
as he was the Father to the Son, so would the Son also 
have been the Father unto him ; and so the order betwixt 
the Father and Son destroyed. 

Nor, secondly, could the Holy Ghost have taken our 
nature upon him, because the bond of personal union be- 
twixt the divine and human nature is from the Spirit, (and 
thence it is, that every one that is partaker of Christ's per- 
son, is partaker of his Spirit also) which could not be if 
the Spirit itself had been the person assuming. For, I 
cannot Conceive, how the same person could unite itself, 
by itself, to the assumed nature : and therefore we read, that 
in the virgin's conception of our Saviour, it was neither 
the Father nor the Son him self, but the Spirit of the most 
high, which did overshadow her, Luke i. 35. 

And, farther, if the Holy Ghost had been my Redeem- 
er, who should have been my sanctifier ? If he had died 
personally for me, who should have applied his death ef- 

C 3 



p4t THOUGHTS ON RELIGION'. 

fectually to me ? That I could not do it myself is, beyond 
contradiction, evident ; and that either the Father, or the 
Son, should do it, is not agreeable to the nature or order 
of the divine operations ; they, as I believe, never acting 
any thing ad extra, personally, but by the Spirit proceed- 
ing from them both. And, therefore it is, that Christ, to 
comfort his disciples after his death, promiseth them in his 
life-time, that he would send them the Comforter, John 
xvi. 7. which is the Spirit of truth, ver. 13. He doth not 
say he will come again personally, but mystically to them, 
by his Spirit. 

But now, that the Spirit, whose office it is to apply the 
merit and mediation of God-man to me could not have 
done it, if himself had been that God-man, seems to me as 
clear and manifest as the other : for, if he had done it, he 
should either have done it by the Father, by the Son, or 
by himself. He could not do it by the Father, nor the 
Son, because he does nothing by them, but all things from 
them. The Father acts in the Son by the Spirit, the Son 
from the Father by the Spirit, the Spirit from the Father 
and the Son. And therefore it likewise follows, that as 
the Spirit could not unite itself before, so neither can it 
apply itself here, to the human nature ; for, to assume 
the human nature into the divine, and to apply the divine 
nature to the human, are two distinct offices ; and, there- 
fore, to be performed by two distinct persons. The first 
could have been done only by one that was really man, as 
well as God ; the other, only by one that was merely God, 
and not man. 

And that must needs be so : for, otherwise, God should 
act upon man by man, by the person man, as well as 
God ; and, by consequence, all the dispensations of his 
grace towards us, would have been stopped in the frailty 
of the human, though perfect nature. So that it would 
have availed me nothing, if the Spirit had taken my na- 
ture upon him ; because, though he had assumed the hu- 
man, I could not thence have participated of the divine 
nature ; nay, therefore, I could not have participated of 
this, because he had assumed that, by which alone I could 
be brought into this capacity ; and so by this means, I 
should be farther off than 1 Mas before. 

And lastly, as, if the Father had become man, there 
would have been two Fathers ; so if the Spirit had become 
man, there would have been two Sons, the second per* 
son begotten from eternity, and the third person begotten 



THOUGHTS ON RELIGION. 55 

in time. But now, by the Son's taking our nature upon 
him, these and far greater difficulties are avoided, which 
we might easily perceive, could we sufficiently dive into 
the depth of that wisdom of the Father, in sending his Son, 
rather than his Spirit, or coming himself in his own per* 
son. However, to us, it cannot but seer.v most equita- 
ble, (if reason may hold the balance) that he, who is the 
middle person, between the Father and the Spirit, should 
become the mediator betwixt God and man ; and that he, 
who is the Son of God in the glorious Trinity, should be* 
come the Son of man in his gracious mystery. 

But, on the other side, as it wasTnot the divine nature, 
but a divine person that did assume, so neither was it a 
human person, but the human nature that was assumed ; 
for otherwise, if he had assumed the person of any one 
man in the world, his death had been beneficial to none 
but him, whose person he thus assumed and represented. 
Whereas, now that he has assumed the nature of man in 
general, all that partake of that nature, are capable of 
partaking of the benefit he purchased for us, by dying in 
our stead. And thus under each, Adam, as the represen- 
tation was universal, so were the effects designed to be ; 
For as in Adam all died, even so in Christ shall all be made 
alive. 1 Cor. xv. 22. 

Again, when I say, the Son of God became the Son of 
man, I do not mean, as if, by this, he should cease to be 
what he was before, the Son of God, for he did not leave 
his Godhead to take upon him the manhood ; but I believe 
he took the manhood into his Godhead ; he did not put 
off the one, to put on the other, but he put one upon the 
other : neither do I believe that the human nature, when 
assumed into the divine, ceased to be human ; but as the 
divine person so assumed the human nature, as still to re- 
main a divine person, so the human nature was so assum- 
ed into a divine person, as still to remain a human na- 
ture : God, therefore, so became man, as to be both per- 
fectly God, and perfectly man, united together hi one 
person. 

I say, in one person ; for if he should be God and man 
in distinct persons, this would avail me no more, than if 
he should be God only, and not man, or man only, and 
not God ; because the merit and value both of his active 
and passive obedience is grounded merely upon the union 
of the two natures in one and the same person. He there- 
fore, by his life and death, merited so much for ,us, be- 

C 4 



56 THOUGHTS ON RELIGION. 

cause the same person, that so lived and died, was God as 
well as man ; and every action that lie did, and every pas- 
sion that he suffered, was done and suffered by him that 
was God, as well as man. And hence it is, that Christ, of all 
the persons in the world, is so fit, yea, only fit, to be my Re- 
deemer, Mediator, and Surety ; because he alone is both 
God and man in one person. If he was not man, he could 
not undertake that office ; if he was not God, he could not 
perform it : if he was not man, he could not be capable of 
being 1 bound for me ; if he was not God, he would not be 
able to pay my debt. It was man by whom the covenant 
was broken ; and, therefore, man must have suitable pu- 
nishment laid upon him : it was God with whom it was 
broken ; and, therefore, God must have sufficient satis- 
faction made unto him : and, as for that satisfaction, it 
was man that had offended, and; therefore, man alone 
could make it suitable ; it was God that was offended, and, 
therefore, God alone could make it sufficient. 

The sum of all this is : man can suffer, but he cannot 
satisfy ; God can satisfy, but he cannot suffer ; but Christ 
being both God and man, can both suffer and satisfy too ; 
and so is perfectly fit both to suffer for man, and to make 
satisfaction unto God, to reconcile God to man, and man 
to God. And thus, Christ having assumed my nature 
into his person, and so satisfied divine justice for my sins, 
I am received into grace and favour again with the most 
high God. 

Upon this principle, I believe, that I, by nature the 
son of man, am made, by grace, the son of God, as really 
as Christ, by nature the Son of God, was made by office, 
the Son of man : and so, though in myself, / may say to 
corruption thou art my mother, yet in Christ I may say to 
God, Abba Father. Neither do I believe this to be a me- 
taphorical expression, viz. because he doth that for me, 
which a father doth for his child, even provide for me 
whilst young, and give me my portion when come to age; 
but I believe, that in the same propriety of speech that my 
earthly father was called the father of my natural self, is 
God the father of my spiritual self: for, why was my 
earthly father called my father, but because that I, as to 
my natural being, was born of what proceeded from him, 
viz. his seed ? Why so, as to my spiritual being, am I 
born of what proceeds from God, his Spirit : and as I was 
not born of the very substance ot 1 my natural parents, but 
only of what came from them ; so neither is my spiritual 



THOUGHTS ON RELIGION. 57 

self begotten again, quickened and constituted of the very 
substance of my heavenly Father, God, but of the Spirit 
and spiritual influences proceeding from him. Thus, 
therefore, it is, that I believe that Christ, the Son of God, 
became the Son of man ; and thus it is that I believe my- 
self the son of man to be made, thereby, the son of God. 
" I believe, O my God and Father, do thou help mine un- 
" belief ! and every day more and more increase my faith, 
a till itself shall be done away, and turned into the most 
" perfect vision and fruition of thine own glorious God«» 
"head!" 

ARTICLE VI. 

/ believe that Christ lived to God, and died for sin, that I 
might die to sin, and live with God. 

AND thus, by faith, I follow my Saviour from the 
womb to the tomb, from his incarnation to his death 
and passion, believing all that he did or suffered, to be for 
my sake ; for Christ did not only take my nature upon 
him, but he suffered and obeyed; he underwent miseries, 
and undertook duties for me ; so that not only his passive, 
but likewise his active obedience unto God, in that na- 
ture, was still for me. Not as if I believed, his duty as 
man was not God's debt, by the law of creation ; yes ; I 
believe that he owed that obedience unto God, that if he 
had committed but one sin, and that of the lightest tinc- 
ture, in all his life-time, he would have been so far from 
being able to satisfy for my sins, that he could not have 
Satisfied for his own ; For such an high priest became us, 
who is holy, harmless, separate from sinners, and made 
higher than the heavens ; who needed not daily, as those high 
priests, to offer tip sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then 
for the people's, Heb. vii. 26, 27. So that if he had not 
had these qualifications in their absolute perfection, he 
could not have been our high priest, nor, by consequence, 
have made atonement for, nor expiated any*- sins whatso- 
ever. But now, though both as man, and as God-man or 
Mediator too, it behoved him to be thus faithful and spot- 
less; yet, as being God, co-equal and co-essential with 
the Father, it was not out of duty, but merely upon our 
account, that he thus subjected his neck to the yoke of his 
own law ; himself, as God, being the legislator or law* 
jriver, arid so no more under it, than the Father himself, 

C 5 



58 THOUGHTS ON RELIGIOX. 

And hereupon it is, that I verily believe, that whatso- 
ever Christ either did or suffered in the flesh, was merito- 
rious ; not that his life was righteous towards (rod, only 
that his death might he meritorious for us (which I believe 
otherwise it could not have been) but that his life was 
equally meritorious, as righteous. So, that I believe my 
person is as really accepted, as perfectly righteous, by the 
righteousness of his life imputed to me, as my sins are par- 
doned by God, for the bitterness of the death he suffered 
for them • his righteousness being as really by faith im- 
puted to me, as my sins were laid upon him : as those are 
het upon his, so is that set upon my score; and so every 
thing he did in his life, as well as every thing he suffered in 
his death, is mine ; by the latter God looks upon me as per- 
fectly innocent, and therefore not to be thrown down to 
hell ,' by the former he looks upon me as perfectly righ- 
teous, and, therefore, to be brought up to heaven. 

And, as for his death, I believe it was not only as much, 
but infinitely more, satisfactory to divine justice, than 
though I should have died to eternity. For, by that 
means, justice is actually and perfectly satisfied already, 
which it could never have been, for my suffering for my 
sins myself; for if justice by that means could ever be sa- 
tisfied, if it could ever say, It is enough; it could not 
stand with the same justice, now satisfied, still to inflict 
punishment, nor, by consequence, coidd the damned just- 
ly scorch in the flames of God's wrath for ever. Neither 
did the death of my Saviour reach only to the condemn- 
ing, but likewise to the commanding power of sin ; it did 
not only pluck out its sting, but likewise deprive it of its 
strength ; so that he did not only merit by his death, that 
I should never die for sin, but likewise, that I should die 
to it. Neither did he only merit by his life, that I should 
be accounted righteous in him before God ; but likewise 
that I should be made righteous in myself by God. Yea, 
I believe that Christ by his deatli hath so fully discharged 
the debt I owe to God, that now, for the remission of my 
fins, and the accepting of my person (if I perform the con- 
dition he requires m his covenant) 1 ma}* not only aj 
to the throne of grace, but likewise to the judgment- 
of God ; 1 may not only cry, " Mercy, i ) gracious 

(i Father, but, justice, justice, my righteous God ;" I may 
not only say, Lord, be gracious and merciful, but be just 
and faithful, to acquit me from that debt, and cancel that 
bond which my surety hath paid for me, and v> Inch thou 



THOUGHTS ON RELIGION. 5<J 

hast promised to accept of; being not only gracious and mer- 
ciful, but just and faithful, to forgive me my sins, and to 
cleanse me from all unrighteousness, 1 John i. 9» 

ARTICLE VII. 

/ believe that Christ rose from the grave, that I might rise 
from sin, and that he is ascended into heaven that I may 
come unto him. 

AS Christ came from heaven to earth, so I believe he 
went from earth to heaven, and all for the accomplish* 
ment of my salvation ; that after he had lived a most holy 
life, he died a most cruel death ; that he was apprehended, 
arraigned, accused, and condemned, by such as could not 
pronounce the sentence against him, did not himself, at the 
same time, vouchsafe them breath to do it ; and that he 
that came into the world to take away the sins of it, to 
bring sinners to the joys of life, was himself by those very 
sinners brought into the pangs of death. But yet, as it 
was not in the power of death long to detain the Lord of 
life ; so, though the worms had power to send him to the 
grave, yet I believe they had not power or time to feed 
upon him there ; for he rose again from the dead the third 
day : he lay three days, that I might believe he was not 
alive, but dead ; he arose the third day, that I might be- 
lieve he is not dead, but lives ; he descended down to hell, I 
that he might make full satisfaction to God's justice for 
my sins ; but he is now ascended up into heaven, that he 
might make intercession to God's mercy for my soul : thi- 
ther I believe he is gone, and there I believe he is, not as 
a private person, but as the head and Saviour of his church. 
And under this capacity, as I believe that Christ is there 
for me, so I am there in him : For where the head is, there 
must the members be also; that is, I am as really there in him_, 
my representative now, as I shall be in my own proper 
person hereafter ; and he is as really preparing my man- 
sion for me there, as I am preparing myself for that man- 
sion here. Nay, I believe, that he is not only preparing 
a mansion for me in heaven, but that himself is likewise 
preparing me for this mansion upon earth, continually 
sending down and issuing forth from himself fresh sup- 
plies and influences of his grace and Spirit ; and all to 
qualify me for his service, and make me meet to be partaker 
of his inheritance with the saints in light, 

C 6 



GO THOUGHTS ON RELIGION'. 

Which inheritance, I believe, he doth so much desire 
his Father to bestow upon me, as he claims it for me ; 
himself having purchased it with the price of his own 
blood. And as he hath purchased the inheritance itself, 
so likewise the way unto it for me ; and, therefore, sues 
out for the pardon of those sins, and subduing those cor- 
ruptions which would make me unworthy of it ; and for 
the conveyance of those graces to me, whereby I may 
walk directly to it ; not only saying to his Father, con- 
cerning me, as Paul said to Philemon, concerning Onesi- 
mus, If this thy servant oweth thee any thing, set ii upon my 
account ; I will repay it. But what is this thy servant 
oweth thee, see, it is set upon my score already, and I 
have paid it ; what punishments he is indebted to thee, 
for all the offences he hath committed against thee, be- 
hold I have borne them already ; see how I have been 
wounded far his transgressions, and bruised for his iniqui- 
ties ; the chastisement of his peace was upon me : with my 
stripes therefore let him be healed, Isa. liii. 5. And thus, as 
he once shed his blood for me amongst men, he now 
pleads it for me before God ; and that not only for the 
washing out the guilt of my transgressions, but likewise 
for the washing away the filth of my corruptions ; himself 
having purchased the donation of the Spirit from the Fa- 
ther, he there claims the communication of it unto me. 

And that he hath thus undertaken to plead my cause for 
me, I have it under his own hand and seal ; himself by his 
Spirit assuring me, that if / sin, I have an advocate with 
the Father, even Jesus Christ the righteous, 1 John ii. 1. 
So that I believe, he is not so much my solicitor at the 
mercy-seat, as my advocate at the judgment-seat of God, 
there pleading my right and title to the crown of glory, 
and to every step of the way that I must go through the 
kingdom of grace unto it. In a word, I believe, that 
Christ, upon promise and engagement to pay such a price 
for it in time, did purchase this inheritance for me from 
eternity ; whereupon I was even then immediately chosen 
and elected into it ; and had, by this means, a place in 
heaven before I had any being upon earth ; and when the 
time appointed, by covenant, was come, 1 believe, Christ, 
according to his promise, paid the purchase-money, even 
laid down his life forme ; and then forthwith went up and 
took possession of this my kingdom, not for himself, but 
for me as my proxy and representative : so that whilst I 
am in my infancy, under age, I am in possession, though 



THOUGHTS ON RELIGION. 6l 

I have not as yet the enjoyment of this my inheritance ; 
but that is reserved for me till I come at age. And how- 
soever, though I do not enjoy the whole as .yet, my Father 
allows me as much of it as he sees convenient, so much 
grace and so much comfort as he thinks best ; which are 
as a pledge of what he has laid up for me in his kingdom 
which is above. 

ARTICLE VIII. 

I believe that my person is only justified by the merit of 
Christ imputed to me ; and that my nature is only sanctu 
fied by the Spirit of Christ implanted in me. 

\ ND thus I do not only believe Christ to be my Savi- 
-£*- our, but I believe only Christ to be my Saviour. It 
was he alone that trod the wine-press of his Fathers wrath 
filled with the sour and bitter grapes of my sins. It was 
he that carried on the great work of my salvation, being 
himself both the author and the finisher of it. I say it was 
he, and he alone ; for what person or persons in the world 
could do it, besides himself ? the angels could not if they 
would, the devils would not if they could ; and as for my 
fellow-creatures, I may as well satisfy for their sins, as 
they for mine ; and how little able even the best of us are 
to do either, i. e. to atone either for our own transgressions, 
or those of others, every man's experience will sufficiently 
inform him. For how should we, poor worms of the 
earth, ever hope, by our slime and mortar (if I may so 
speak) of our own natural abilities, to raise up a tower, 
whose top may reach to heaven ? Can we expect by the 
strength of our own hands, to take heaven by violence ? or 
by the price of our own works to purchase eternal glory ? 
It is a matter of admiration to me, how any one, that pre- 
tends to the use of his reason, can imagine, that he should 
be accepted before God for what comes from himself ? For, 
how is it possible that I should be j ustified by good works, 
when I can do no good works at all before 1 be first justi- 
fied ? My works cannot be accepted as good, until my 
person be so ; nor can my person be accepted by God, 
till first ingrafted into Christ : before which ingrafting into 
the true vine, it is impossible I should bring forth good 
fruit ; for the plowing of the wicked is sin, says Solomon, 
Prov. xxi. 4. yea, the sacrifices of the wicked are an abomi- 
nation to the Lord, chap. xv. 8. And if, both the civil 



62 THOUGHTS ON RELIGION. 

and spiritual actions of the wicked be sin, which of all 
their actions, shall have the honour to justify them before 
God? I know not how it is with others, but for my own 
part, I do not remember, neither do I believe, that I ever 
prayed in all my life-time, with that reverence, or heard 
with that attention, or received the sacrament with that 
faith, or did any other work whatsoever, with that pure 
heart and single eye, as I ought to have done. Insomuch 
that I look upon all my righteousness asjilthy rags ; and it 
is in the robes only of the righteousness of the Son of God 
that I dare appear before the majesty of heaven. Nay, 
suppose I could at length, attain to that perfection, as to 
do good works, exactly conformable to the will of God, 
yet must they have better eyes than I, that can see how 
my obedience in one kind, can satisfy for my disobedience 
in another ; or how that which God commands from me, 
should merit any thing from him. 

No, I believe there is no person can merit any thing 
from God, but he that can do more than is required of 
him ; which it is impossible any creature should do. For, 
in that it is a creature, it continually depends upon God, 
and therefore is bound to do every thing it can, by any 
means possible to do for him ; especially, considering, that 
the creature's dependence upon God is such, that it is be- 
holden to him even for every action that issues from it ; 
without whom, as it is impossible any thing should be, 
so likewise that any thing should act, especially, what is 
good. So that to say, a man of himself can merit any 
thing from God, is as much as to say, that he can merit 
by that which of himself he doth not do ; or that one per- 
son can merit by that which another performs ; which is a 
plain contradiction. For in that it merits, it is necessarily 
implied, that itself acts that by which it is said to merit, 
but in that it doth not depend upon itself, but on another 
in what it acts, it is as necessarily implied, that itself doth 
not do that by which it is said to merit. 

Upon this account, I shall never be induced to believe, 
that any creature, by any thing it doth, or can do, can 
merit, or deserve any thing at the hand of God, till it can 
be proved, that a creature can merit by that which God 
doth ; or that God can be bound to bestow any thing upon 
us, for that which himself alone is pleased to work in us, 
and by us ; which, in plain terms, would be as much as 
to say, that because God hath been pleased to do one good 
turn for us, he is therefore bound to do more ; and, be- 



THOUGHTS ON RELIGION. 63 

cause God hath enabled us to do our duty, he should 
therefore be bound to give us glory. 

It is not, therefore, in the power of any person in the 
world to merit any thing from God, but such a one who 
is absolutely co-essential with him, and so depends not 
upon him either for his existence or actions. And, as 
there is no person can merit any thing from God, unless 
he be essentially the same with him, so likewise, unless 
he be personally distinct from him : forasmuch as, though 
a person may be said to merit for himself, yet he cannot 
be said, without a gross solecism, to merit any thing from 
himself. So that he that is not as perfectly another per- 
son from God, as really as the same in nature with him, 
can never be said to merit any thing at his hands. 

But farther, God the Father could not properly be said 
to do it in his own person, because, being (according to 
our conception) the party offended, should he have under- 
taken this work for me, he, in his own person, must have 
undertaken to make satisfaction to his own person, for the 
offences committed against himself; which if he should 
have done, his mercy might have been much exalted, but 
his justice could not have been satisfied by it. For justice 
requires, either that the party offended should be punish- 
ed for these offences, or, at least some fit person in his 
stead, which the Father himself cannot be said to be, in 
that he was the party offended, to whom the satisfaction 
w T as to be made : and it is absurd to suppose, that the 
same person should be capable of making satisfaction, both 
by and to himself, at the same time. 

It remains, therefore, that there were only two per- 
sons in the holy Trinity, who could possibly be invested 
with this capacity ; the Son and the Spirit : as to the lat- 
ter, though he be indeed the same in nature with the Fa- 
ther, and a distinct person from him, and so far in a ca- 
pacity to make satisfaction to him; yet not being capable 
both of assuming the human nature into the divine, and 
also uniting and applying the divine nature to the human, 
(as I have shewed before in the fifth article) he was not in 
a capacity of making satisfaction for man ; none being fit 
to take that office upon him, but he that, of himself, was 
perfectly God, and likewise capable of becoming perfectly 
man, by uniting both natures in the same person ; which 
the Holy Ghost could not do, because he was the person 
by whom, and therefore could not be the person also in 
whom, this union of the two natures was to be perfected, 



64 THOUGHTS ON RELIGION. 

And yet it was by this means, and this method only, that 
any person could have been completely capacitated to have 
borne the punishment of our sins : he that was only man 
could not do it, because the sin was committed against 
God ; and he that was only God could not do it, because 
the sin was committed by man. 

From all which, as I may fairly infer, so I hope, I may 
safely fix my faith in this article, viz, That there was only 
one person in the whole world that could do this great 
work for me, of justifying my person before God, and so 
glorifying my soul with him ; and that was the Son of 
God, the second person in the glorious Trinity, begotten 
of the substance of the Father from all eternity ; whom I 
apprehend and believe to have brought about the great 
work of my justification before God, after this or the like 
manner. 

He being, in and of himself, perfectly co-equal, co- 
essential, and co-eternal with the Father, was in no sort 
bound to do more than the Father himself did ; and so 
whatsoever he should do, which the Father did not, might 
justly be accounted as a work of supererogation ; which, 
without any violation of divine justice, might be set upon 
the account of some other persons, even of such whom he 
pleased to do it for. And hereupon, out of mercy and 
compassion to fallen man, he covenants with his Father, 
that if it pleased his majesty to accept it, he would take 
upon him the suffering of those punishments which were 
due from him to man, and the performance of those duties 
which were due from man to him : so that whatsoever he 
should thus humble himself to do or suffer, should wholly 
be upon the account of man, himself not being any ways 
bound to do or suffer more in time, than he had from eter- 
nity. 

This motion, the Father, out of the riches of his grace 
and mercy, was pleased to consent unto : and hereupon, 
the Son assuming our nature into his deity, becomes sub- 
ject and obedient both to the moral and ceremonial laws of 
his Father, and, at last, to death itself, even the death of 
the cross. In the one, he paid an active, in the other a 
passive, obedience ; and so did not only fulfil the will of 
his Father, in obeying what he had commanded, but sa- 
tisfied his justice in suffering the punishment due to us for 
the transgressing of it. Flis active obedience, as it was 
infinitely pure and perfect, did, without doubt, infinitely 
transcend all the obedience of the sons of men, even of 



THOUGHTS ON RELIGION. „ 65 

Adam too, in his primitive state. For, the obedienee of 
Adam, make the best of it, was but the obedience of a 
finite creature ; whereas the obedience of Christ was the 
obedience of one that was infinite God, as well as man. By 
which means, the laws of God had higher obedience per- 
formed to them, than themselves in their primitive insti- 
tution required ; for being made only to finite creatures, 
they could command no more than the obedience of finite 
creatures ; whereas the obedience of Christ was the obe- 
dience of one who was the infinite Creator, as well as a fi- 
nite creature. 

Now, this obedience being more than Christ was bound 
to, and only performed upon the account of those whose 
nature he had assumed ; as we, by faith, lay hold upon it, 
so God, through grace, imputes it to us, as if it had been 
performed by us in our own persons. And hence it is, 
that as, in one place, Christ is said to be made sin for us, 
2 Cor. v. 21. so in another place, he is said to be made our 
righteousness, 1 Cor. i. 30. And in the forecited place, 
2 Cor. v. 21. as he is said to be made sin for us, so we are 
said to be made righteousness in him : but what righteous- 
ness ? our own ? No, the righteousness of God, radically 
his, but imputatively ours : and this is the only way, 
whereby we are said to be made the righteousjiess of God, 
even by the righteousness of Christ's being made ours, by 
which we are accounted and reputed as righteous before 
God. 

These things considered, I very much wonder, how 
any man can presume to exclude the active obedience of 
Christ from our justification before God, as if what Christ 
did in the flesh, was only of duty, not at all of merit ; or, 
as if it was for himself, and not for us. Especially, when 
I consider, that suffering the penalty is not what the law 
primarily requireth ; for the law of God requires perfect 
obedience, the penalty being only threatened to (not pro- 
perly required of) the breakers of it. For, let a man suf- 
fer the penalty of the law in never so high a manner, he 
is not therefore accounted obedient to it ; his punishment 
doth not speak his innocence, but rather his transgression 
of the law. 

Hence it is, that I cannot look upon Christ, as having 
made full satisfaction to God's justice for me, unless he had 
performed the obedience I owe to God's laws, as well as 
borne the punishment that is due to my sins : for though 
he should have borne my sins, I cannot see how that could. 



66 THOUGHTS ON RELIGION. 

denominate me righteous or obedient to the law, so as to 
entitle me to eternal life, according to the tenor of the old 
law, Do this and live, Lev. xviii. 5. Which old covenant 
is not disannulled or abrogated by the covenant of grace, 
but rather established, Rom. iii. 31. especially as to the 
obedience it requires from us, in order to the life it promis- 
eth ; otherwise, the laws of God would be mutable, and so 
come short of the laws of the very Medes and Persians, which 
alter not. Obedience, therefore, is as strictly required 
under the New, as it was under the Old Testament, but 
with this difference : there obedience in our own persons 
wan required as absolutely necessary ; here, obedience in 
our surety is accepted as completely sufficient. 

But now, if we have no such obedience in our surety, as 
we cannot have, if he did not live, as well as die, for us ; 
let any one tell me what title he hath, or can have, to eter- 
nal life ? I suppose he will tell me, he hath none in him- 
self, because he hath not performed perfect obedience to 
the law. And I tell him, he hath none in Christ, unless 
Christ performed that obedience for him, which none can 
say he did, that doth not believe his active, as well as pas- 
sive obedience, to be wholly upon our account. 

And now I speak of Christ's being our surety, as the 
apostle calls him, Heb. vii. 22. methinks this gives much 
light to the truth in hand : for, what is a surety, but one 
that undertakes to pay whatsoever he, whose surety he is, 
is bound to pay, in case the debtor proves nonsolvent, or 
unable to pay it himself? And thus is Christ, under the 
notion of a surety, bound to pay whatever we owe to 
God, because we ourselves are not able to pay it in our 
own persons. 

Now, there are two things that we owe to God, which 
this our surety is bound to pay for us, viz. First, and prin- 
cipally, obedience to his laws, as he is our Creator and 
governor ; and, secondly, by consequence, the punish- 
ment that is annexed to the breach of these laws, of which 
we are guilty. Now, though Christ should pay the latter 
part of our debt for us, by bearing the punishment that is 
due unto us ; yet, if he did not pay the former and prin- 
cipal part of it too, i. e. perform the obedience which we 
owe to God, he would not fully have performed the office 
of suretyship, which he undertook for us ; and so would 
be but a half-mediator, or half-saviour, which are such 
words as I dare scarce pronounce, for fear of blasphemy. 

So that, though it is the death of Christ by which I be- 



THOUGHTS ON RELIGION. 6*7 

lieve my sins are pardoned ; yet it is the life of Christ/ by 
which I believe my person is accepted. His passion God 
accounts as suffered by me, and therefore I shall not die 
for sin : his obedience God accounts as performed by me, 
and therefore I shall live with him. Not if as I believed, 
that Christ so performed obedience for me, that I should 
be discharged from my duty to him : but only that 1 should 
not be condemned by God, in not discharging my duty to 
him in so strict a manner, as is required. I believe that 
the active obedience of Christ will stand me in no stead, 
unless I endeavour after sincere obedience in my own 
person ; his active, as well as his passive obedience, being 
imputed unto none, but only to such as apply it to them- 
selves by faith ; which faith in Christ will certainly put 
such as are possessed of it upon obedience unto God. This, 
therefore, is the righteousness, and the manner of that justi- 
iication, whereby I hope to stand before the judgment- seat 
of God ; even by God's imputing my sins to Christ, and 
Christ's righteousness to me ; looking upon me as one not 
to be punished for my sins, because Christ hath suffered, 
but to be received into the joys of glory, because Christ 
hath performed obedience for me, and does, by faith, 
through grace, impute it to me. 

And thus it is into the merit of Christ that I resolve the 
whole work of my salvation ; and this, not only, as to 
that which is wrought without me, for the justification of 
my person, but likewise as to what is wrought within me 
for the sanctification of my nature. As I cannot have a \ 
sin pardoned without Christ, so neither can I have a sin I 
subdued without him ; neither the fire of God's wrath can 
be quenched, nor yet the filth of my sins washed away, 
but by the blood of Christ. 

So that I wonder as much at the doctrine that some men 
have advanced concerning free-will, as I do at that which 
others have broached in favour of good w T orks ; and it is a 
mystery to me, how any that ever had experience of God's 
method in working out sin, and planting grace in our 
hearts, should think they can do it by themselves, or any 
thing in order to it. Not that I do in the least question, 
but that every man may be saved that will ; (for this, I 
believe, is a real truth) but I do not believe, that any man 
of himself can will to be saved. Wheresoever God en- 
ables a soul effectually to will salvation, he will certainly 
give salvation to that soul ; but I believe, it is as impossi* 
ble for my soul to will salvation of itself, as to enjoy salva* 
tion without God, 



68 THOUGHTS ON RELIGION'. 

And this my faith is not grounded upon a roving fancy, 
but the most solid reasons ; forasmuch as, of ourselves, 
we are not able, in our understandings, to discern the 
evil from the good, much less then, are we able, in our 
wills, to prefer the good before the evil ; the will never 
settling upon any thing, but what the judgment discovers 
to it. But now, that my natural judgment is unable to 
apprehend and represent to my will the true and only 
good under its proper notion, my own too sad experience 
would sufficiently persuade me, though I had neither 
scripture nor reason for it. And yet the scripture also is 
so clear in this point, that I could not have denied it, 
though I should never have had any experience of it ; the 
Most High expressly telling me, that the nalural man re* 
ceivelh not the things of the spirit of God, for they arefooU 
ishness to him ; neither can he know them, because they are 
spiritually discerned, 1 Cor. ii. 14. Neither can he know 
them, i. e. There is an absolute impossibility in it, that any 
one remaining in his natural principles, without the assist- 
ance of God, should apprehend or conceive the excellency 
of spiritual objects. So that a man may as soon read the 
letter of the scripture without eyes, as understand the 
mysteries of the gospel without grace. And this is not at 
all to be wondered at ; especially, if we consider the vast 
and infinite disproportion betwixt the object and the facul- 
ty ; the object to be apprehended being nothing less than 
the best of beings, God : and the faculty whereby we ap- 
prehend it, nothing more than the power of a finite crea- 
ture polluted with the worst of evils, sin. 

So that I believe it a thousand times easier for a worm, a 
fly, or any other despicable insect whatsoever, to understand 
the affairs of men, than for the best of men in a natural 
state to apprehend the things of God. No ; there is none 
can know God, nor, by consequence, any thing that is 
really good, but only so far as they are partakers of the 
divine nature : we must, in some measure, be like to God, 
before we can have any true conceptions of him, or be 
really delighted with him : we must have a spiritual sight, 
before we can behold spiritual things ; which every natu- 
ral man being destitute of, he can see no comeliness in 
Christ, why he should be desired ; nor any amiableness 
in religion, why it should be embraced. 

And hence it is, that I believe, the first work that God 
puts forth upon the soul in order to its conversion, is, to 
raise up a spiritual light within it, to clear up its appre- 



THOUGHTS ON RELIGION. 6$ 

hensions about spiritual matters, so as to enable the soul to 
look upon God as the chiefest good, and the enjoyment of 
him as the greatest bliss ; whereby the soul may clearly 
discern between good and evil, and evidently perceive, that 
nothing is good, but so far as it is like to God ; and no- 
thing evil, but so far as it resembles sin. 

But this is not all the work that God hath to do upon a 
sinful soul, to bring it to himself; for though I must con- 
fess that in natural things, the will always folio ws the ulti- 
mate dictates of the understanding, so as to choose and em- 
brace what the understanding represents to it, under the 
comely dress of good and amiable, and to refuse and abhor 
whatever, under the same representation, appears to be 
evil and dangerous ; I say, though I must confess, it is so 
in natural, yet I believe, it is not so in spiritual matters. 
For, though the understanding may have never such clear 
apprehensions of spiritual good, yet the will is not at all af- 
fected with it, without the joint operations of the grace of 
God upon us ; all of us too sadly experiencing what St. 
Paul long ago bewailed in himself, that what we do, we 
allow not, Rom. vii. 15. that though our judgments con- 
demn what we do, yet we cannot choose but do it ; though 
our understandings clearly discover to us the excellence of 
grace and glory, yet our wills overpowered with their own 
corruptions, are strangely hurried into sin and misery, I 
must confess, it is a truth which I should scarcely have 
ever believed, if I had not such daily experience of it ; but 
alas ! there is scarce an hour in the day, but I may go 
about lamenting, with Medea in Seneca, Video meliora, 
proboque ; deteriora sequor ; though I see what is good, 
yea, and judge it to be the better, yet I very often choose 
the worse. 

And the reason of it is, because, as by our fall from 
God, the whole soul was desperately corrupted ; so it is 
not the rectifying of one faculty, which can make the 
whole straight ; but as the whole was changed from ho- 
liness to sin, so must the whole be changed again from sin 
to holiness, before it can be inserted into a state of grace, 
or so much as an act of grace to be exerted by it. 

Now, therefore, the understanding and will being two 
distinct faculties, or, at least two distinct acts in the soul, 
it is impossible for the understanding to be so enlightened, 
as to prefer the good before the evil, and yet for the will 
to remain so corrupt, as to choose the evil before the good. 
And hence it is, that where God intends to work over a 



70 THOUGHTS ON RELIGION'. 

soul to himself, he doth not only pass an enlightening act 
upon the understanding and its apprehensions, but like- 
wise a sancifying act upon the will and its affections, that 
when the soul perceives the glory of God, and the beauty 
of holiness, it may presently close with, and entertain it 
with the choicest of its affections. And without God's thus 
drawing it, the understanding could never allure the soul 
to good. 

And therefore it is, that for all the clear discoveries which 
the understanding may make to itself concerning the glo- 
ries of the invisible world, yet God assures us, it is him- 
self alone that effects the soul with them, by inclining its 
will to them : for it is God which worketh in us both to will 
and to do of his good, pleasure, Phil. ii. 13. So that, though 
God offer heaven to all that will accept of it, in the holy 
scriptures ; yet none can accept of it, but such whom him- 
self stirs up by his holy Spirit to endeavour after it. And 
thus we find it was in Israel's return from Babylon to Je- 
rusalem, though king Cyrus made a proclamation, that 
whosoever would might go up to worship at the holy city, 
Ezra i. 3. yet/ there was none that accepted of the offer, 
hut those whose spirit God had raised to go up, ver. 5. So 
here, though God doth, as it were, proclaim to all the 
world, that whosoever will come to Christ shall certainly 
be saved, yet it doth not follow, that all shall receive sal- 
vation from him, because it is certain all will not come ; 
or y rather, none can will to come unless God enable him. 

I am sure, to say none shall be saved, but those that 
will of themselves, would be sad news forme, whose will 
is naturally so backward to every thing that is good. But 
this is my comfort, I am as certain, my salvation is of God, 
as I am certain it cannot be of myself. It is Christ who 
vouchsafed to die for me, who hath likewise promised to 
live within me : it is he that will work all my works, both 
for me and in me too. In a word, it is to him I am be- 
holden, not only for my spiritual blessings and enjoy- 
ments, but even for my temporal ones too, which, in and 
through his name, I daily put up my petitions for. So 
that I have not so much as a morsel of bread, in mercy, 
from God, but only upon the account of Christ ; not a 
drop of drink, but what flows to me in his blood. It is 
he that is the very blessing of all my blessings, without 
whom my very mercies would prove but curses, and my 
prosperity would but work my ruin. 

" Whither, therefore, should I go, my dear and bles- 



THOUGHTS ON RELIGION. 71 

u seel Saviour, but unto thee ? Thou hast the words of eter- 
ie nal life. And how shall I come, but by thee ? Thou 
*' hast the treasures of all grace. O thou, that hast 
u wrought out my salvation for me, be pleased likewise to 
u work this salvation in me ; give me, I beseech thee, 
" such a measure of thy grace, as to believe in thee here 
" upon earth : and then give me such degrees of glory, as 
" fully to enjoy thee for ever in heaven." 

ARTICLE IX. 

/ believe God entered into a double covenant with man, the 
covenant of works made with the first, and the covenant of 
grace made in the second Adam. 

THAT the most high God should take a piece of earth, 
work it up into the frame and fashion of a man, and 
breathe into his nostrils the breath of life, and then should 
enter into a covenant with it, and should say, Do this and 
live, when man was bound to do it, whether he could 
live by it or no, was without doubt, a great and amazing 
act of love and condescension ; but that, when this cove- 
nant was unhappily broken by the first, God should in- 
stantly vouchsafe to renew it in the second Adam ; and 
that too upon better terms, and more easy conditions than 
the former, was yet a more surprising mercy : for the same 
day that Adam eat the forbidden fruit did God make him 
this promise, that the seed of the woman should bruise the 
serpent 's head, Gen. hi. 15. And this promise he afterwards 
explained and confirmed by the mouth of his prophet Jere- 
miah, saying, This is the covenant that I will make with the 
house of Israel, after those days ; I will put my law into 
their inward parts, and write it in their hearts ; and I will 
be to them a God, and they shad be to me a people, Jer. xxxi. 
S3. And again, by St. Paul under the New Testament, 
almost in the self-same words, Heb. viii. 10. 

A covenant so gracious and condescending, that it seems 
to be made up of nothing else but promises. The first 
was, properly speaking, a covenant of works, requiring 
on man's part a perfect and unsinning obedience, without 
any extraordinary grace or assistance from God to enable 
him to perform it; but here, in the second, God under- 
takes both for himself and for man too, having digested 
the conditions to be performed by us, into promises, to be 
fulfilled by himself, viz. that he will not only pardon our 



72 THOUGHTS ON RELIGION". 

sins, if we do repent, but that he will give us repentance, 
that so we may deserve his pardon ; that he will not only 
give us life, if we come to Christ, but even draw us to 
Christ, that so he may give us life ; and so not only make 
us happy, if we will be holy, but make us holy, that so 
we may be happy : for the covenant is, not that he will 
be our God, if we will be his people, but he will be our 
God, and we shall be his people. But still, all this is in 
and through Christ, the surety and mediator of this cove- 
nant, in whom all the promises are yea and amen, 2 Cor. 
i. 20. so that Christ may be looked upon, not only as a 
surety, but as a party in this covenant of grace, being not 
only bound to God, but likewise covenanting w ith him 
for us. As God-man, he is a surety for us, but as man he 
must needs be a party with us, even our head in the cove- 
nant of grace, as Adam was in the covenant of works. 

What therefore, though I can do nothing in this cove- 
nant of myself? yet this is my comfort, that he hath un- 
dertaken for me, who can do all things. And therefore it 
is called a covenant of grace, and not of works, because 
in it there is no work required from me, but what, by 
grace, I shall be enabled to perform. 

And as for the tenor in which this covenant runs, or the 
Habendum and grant which each party covenants for, it is 
expressed in these words, / will be your God, and you shall be 
my people; God covenants with us, that we shall be his peo- 
ple, we covenant with God, that he shall be our God. 
And what can God stipulate more to us, or we stipulate 
more to him than this ? What doth not God promise to us, 
when he promises to be our God ? and what doth he not 
require from us, when he requires us to be his people. 

First, He doth not say, I will be your hope, your help, 
your light, your life, your sun, your shield, and your ex- 
ceeding great reward ; but I will be your God, which is 
ten thousand times more than possibly can be couched un- 
der any other expressions whatsoever, as containing under 
it whatsoever God is, whatsoever God hath, and whatso- 
ever God can do. All his essential attributes are still en- 
gaged for us ; we may lay claim to them, and take hold 
on them : So that what the prophet saith of his righteous- 
ness and strength, surely shall one say, in the Lord have I 
righteousness and strength, Isa. xiv. 24. I may extend to all 
his other attributes, and say, surely in the Lord have I mer- 
cy to pardon me, wisdom to instruct me, power to protect 
me, truth to direct me, grace to crown my heart on earth, 



THOUGHTS ON RELIGION, ?3 

and ^lory to crown my head in heaven : and, if what he 
is, then much more what he hath, is here made over by 
covenant to me. He that spared not his own Son, saith 
the apostle, but delivered him tip for us all ; how shall he 
not but with him likewise freely give us all things ? Rom. 
viii. 32. But what hath God to give me ? Why, all that he 
hath is briefly summed up in this short inventory ; what- 
soever is in heaven above, or the earth beneath, is his ; 
and that this inventory is true, I have several witnesses 
to prove it, Melchizedec, Gen. xiv. 19. and Moses, Deut. 
x. 14. and David, 1 Chron. xxix. 11. Indeed, reason it- 
self will conclude this, that he that is the Creator and Pre- 
server, must, of necessity, be the owner and possessor of 
all things ; so that let me imagine what possibly I can in 
all the w^orld, I may with the pen of reason write under 
it, this is God's ; and if I take but the pen of faith with it, 
I may write, this is mine in Jesus Cluist. 

As for example ; hath he a Son ? He hath died for me. 
Hath he a Spirit ? It shall live within me. Is earth his ? 
It shall be my provision. Is Jieaven his ? It shall be my 
portion. Hath he angels ? They shall guard me. Hath 
he comforts ? They shall support me. Hath he grace ? 
That shall make me holy. Hath he glory? That shall 
make me happy, For the Lord will give grace and glory, 
and no good thing will he withhold from those that walk up- 
rightly, Psal.lxxxiv.il. 

And as he is nothing but what he is unto us, so he doth 
nothing but what he doth for us. So that whatsoever God 
doth by his ordinary providence, or (if our necessity re- 
quires) whatsoever he can do by his extraordinary power,- 
I may be sure, he doth and will do for me. Nov/ he hath 
given himself to me, and taken me unto himself, what 
will he not do for me that he can ? And what can he not 
do for me that he will ? Do I want food ? God can drop 
down manna from the clouds, Exod. xvi. 4. or bid the 
quails come down and feed me with their own flesh, as 
they did the Israelites, ver. IS. or he can send the ravens 
to bring me bread and flesh, as they did the prophet Eli- 
jah, 1 Kings xvii. 6. Am I thirsty ? God can broach the 
rocks, and dissolve the flints into fioock of water as he did 
for Israel, Deut. vii. 25. Am I c fit :i *y furnace? 

he can suspend the fury of the raging SafaifcS; as he did for 
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abedne<?o, Dan. iii. 23. Am I 
thrown among the devouring lions ? he <: th;r 

mouths, and make them as harmless as lambs, 

D 



74? THOUGHTS ON RELIGION. 

for Daniel, Dan. vi. 22. Am I ready to be swallowed up 
by the merciless waves of the tempestuous ocean ? God 
can command a fish to come and ship me safe to land, and 
that in its own belly, as he did for his prophet Jonah, Jo- 
nah ii. 10. Am I in prison ? God can speak the word, as 
he did for St. Peter, and the chains shall immediately fall 
off, and the doors fly open, and I shall be set at liberty, 
as he was, Acts xii. T, 8, 9, 10. And thus I can have no 
wants, but God can supply them, no doubts, but God can 
resolve them, no fears, but God can dispel them, no dan- 
gers, but God can prevent them. And it is as certain that 
he will, as that he can, do these things for me, himself 
having, by covenant, engaged and given himself unto me. 

And as, in God's giving himself, he hath given whatso- 
ever he is, and whatsoever he hath unto me, and will do 
whatsoever he can do for me ; so in my giving myself to 
him, whatsoever I have I am to give to him, and whatso- 
ever I do I am to do for him. But now, though we should 
thus wholly give up ourselves to God, and do whatsoever 
he requires of us (which none, I fear, without some de- 
gree of presumption, can say he has done) yet there is an 
infinite disproportion between the grant on God's part, and 
that on ours, in that he is God, and w r e but creatures, the 
workmanship of his own hands, to whom it was our duty to 
give ourselves, whether he had ever given himself to us or 
no : he is ours by covenant only, not by nature ; we are 
his both by covenant and nature too. 

Hence Ave may infer, that it is not only our duty to do 
what he hath commanded us, because he hath said, Do 
this and live; but because he hath said, Do this ; yea, 
though he should say, Do this and die, it would still be 
our duty to do it, because we are his, wholly of his mak- 
ing, and therefore wholly at his disposing ; insomuch that 
should he put me upon the doing that which would inevi- 
tably bring ruin upon me> I am not to neglect obeying him 
for fear of destroying myself, his will and pleasure being 
infinitely to be preferred before my life and salvation. 

But, if it were my duty to obey his commands, though 
I should die for it, how much more, when he hath pro- 
mised, I shall live by it ? nay, I shall not only live, if I 
obey him, but my obedience itself shall be my life and 
happiness ; for if I be obedient unto him, he is pleased to 
account himself as glorified by me : for herein is my Fa- 
ther glorified, if ye bring forth much fruit, John xv. 8. 
Now, what greater glory can possibly be desired, than to 



THOUGHTS ON RELIGION. 75 

glorify my Maker ? How can I be more glorified by God 
than to have God glorified by me ; it is the glory of God 
to glorify himself; and what a higher glory can a creature 
aspire after, than that which is the infinite glory of its all- 
glorious Creator ? It is not, therefore, my duty only, but 
my glory to give myself, and whatsoever I am, unto him, 
to glorify him both in my body and in my spirit which are his, 
1 Cor. vi. 20. to lay out whatsoever I have for him, to ho- 
nour him with all my substance, Prov. iii. 9« and whether I 
eat or drink, or whatsoever I do, to do all to his glory, i Cor. 
x. 31. Not as if it was possible for God to receive more 
glory from me now, than he had in himself from all eterni- 
ty. No : he was infinitely glorious then, and it is impos- 
sible for him to be more glorious now ; all that we can do, 
is duly to acknowledge that glory which he hath in him- 
self, and to manifest it, as we ought, before others ; 
which, though it be no addition to his glory, yet it is 
the perfection of ours, which he is pleased to account as 
his. 

As for the grant, therefore, in the covenant of grace ; I 
believe it to be the same on our parts, with that in the co- 
venant of works, i. e. That we Christians are as much 
bound to obey the commands he lays upon us now, as the 
Jews under the old covenant were. What difference there 
is, is wholly and solely on God's part ; who, instead of 
expecting obedience from us, is pleased, in this new cove- 
nant, to give this obedience to us. Instead of sa3'ing, Do 
this and live, he hath, in effect, said, I will enable you to 
do this, that so you may live. / will put my laws into your 
minds, and write them in your hearts ; and I will be to you a 
God, and you shall be to me a people, Heb. viii. 10. Not, 
I will, if you will, but I will, and you shall. Not, if you 
will do this, you shall live, but, you shall do this, and 
live. So that God doth not require less from us, but only 
hath promised more to us, in the new, than he did in the 
old covenant. There, we were to perform obedience to 
God ; but it was by our own strength : here, we are to 
perform the same obedience still ; but it is by his strength. 
Nay, as we have more obligations to obedience upon us 
now, than we had before, by reason of God's expressing 
more grace and favour to us than formerly he did; so I 
believe God expects more from us, under the new, than 
he did under the old covenant. In that, he expected the 
obedience of men ; in this, he expects the obedience of 
Christians, such as are by faith united unto Christ, and, 

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76 THOUGHTS ON RELIGION. 

in Christ, unto himself ; and so are to do what they do, 
not by the strength of man, as before, but by the strength 
of the eternal God himself ; who, as he at first created me 
for himself, so he hath now purchased me to himself, re- 
ceived me into covenant with him, and promised to en- 
able me with grace to perform that obedience he requires 
from me ; and, therefore, he now expects I should lay out 
myself, even whatsoever I have or I am, wholly for him 
and his glory. 

This, therefore, being the tenor of this covenant of 
grace, it follows, that I am none of my own, but wholly 
God's : I am his by creation, and his by redemption, and, 
therefore, ought to be his by conversion. Why, there- 
fore, should I live any longer to myself, who am not my 
own, but God's ? And why should I grudge to give my- 
self to him, who did not grudge to give himself for me ? 
or rather, Why should I steal myself from him, who have 
already given myself to him ? But did I say, I have given 
myself to my God? Alas ! it is but the restoring myself to 
him, whose I was ever since I had a being, and to whom 
I am still infinitely more engaged, than I can thus cordi- 
ally engage myself to him ; for, as I am not my own, but 
his, so the very giving of myself to him, is not from my- 
self, but from him. I could not have given myself to him, 
had he not first given himself to me, and even wrought 
my mind into this resolution of giving myself to him. 

But, having thus solemnly by covenant given myself to 
him, how doth it behove me to improve myself for him ; 
my soul is his, my body his, my parts his, my gifts his, 
my graces his, and whatsoever is mine, is his ; for, with- 
out him I could not have been, and therefore could have 
had nothing. So that I have no more cause to be proud 
of any thing I have, or am, than a page hath to be proud 
of his fine clothes, which are not his, but his master's ; 
who bestows all his finery upon him, not for his page's ho- 
nour or credit, but for his own. 

And thus it is with the best of us, in respect of God ; he 
gives men parts and learning, and riches and grace, and 
desires and expects that we should make a due use of them: 
but to what end? Not to gain honour and esteem to our- 
selves, and make us proud and haughty ; but to give him 
the honour due to his name, and so employ them as in- 
struments in promoting his glory and service. So that, 
whensoever we do not lay out ourselves to the utmost of 
our power for him, it is downright sacrilege ; it is robbing 



THOUGHTS ON RELIGION. 77 

God of that which is more properly his, than any man in 
the world can call any thing he hath his own. 

Having, therefore, thus Wholly surrendered and given 
up myself to God, so long as it shall please his majesty to 
entrust me with myself, to lend me my being in the lower 
world, or to put any thing else into my hands, as time, 
health, strength, parts, or the like ; I am resolved, by his 
grace, to lay out all for his glory. All the faculties of my 
soul, as I have given them to him, so will I endeavour to 
improve them for him ; they shall still be at his most no- 
ble service ; my understanding shall be his, to know him ; 
my will his, to choose him ; my affections his, to embrace 
him : and all the members of my body shall act in sub- 
serviency to him. 

And thus, having given myself to God on earth, I hope 
God in a short time will take me to himself in heaven ^ 
where, as I give my self to him in time, he will give him- 
self to me unto all eternity. 

ARTICLE X. 

/ believe, that as God entered into a covenant of grace with 
us, so hath he signed this covenant to us by a double seal, 
baptism and the Lord's supper. 

AS the covenant of works had two sacraments, viz. the 
tree of life, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil; 
the first signifying and sealing life and happiness to the 
performance, the other death and misery to the breach of 
it : so the covenant of grace was likewise sealed with two 
typical sacraments, circumcision and the passover. The 
former was annexed at God's first making his covenant 
with Abraham's person ; the other was added, at his ful- 
filling the promises of it, to his seed or posterity, which 
were therefore styled, the promised seed, But these being 
only typical of the true and spiritual sacraments, that were m 
afterwards to take place upon the coming of the Messiah, 
there were then, in thcfidness of time, two other sacraments 
substituted in their stead, viz. baptism and the supper of the 
Lord. And these sacraments were both correspondent to 
the types by which they were represented. 

As to the first, viz. Circumcision, whether I consider 
the time of conferring it, or the end of its institution, I 
find it exactly answers to the sacrament of baptism in both 
these respects. For, as the children under the law were to 
be circumcised in their infancy, at eight days old ; so are 

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78 THOUGHTS ON RELIGION. 

the children under the gospel to be baptized in their infan- 
cy too. And as the principal thing intended in the rite of 
circumcision, was to initiate or admit the children of the 
faithful into the Jewish church ; so the chief design of 
baptism now, is to admit the children of such as profess 
themselves Christians, into the church of Christ. And, 
for this reason, I believe, that as, under the Old Testa- 
ment, children had the grant of covenant privileges, and 
church-membership, as really as their parents had; so 
this grant was not repealed, as is intimated, Acts ii. 39* 
but farther confirmed in the New Testament, in that the 
apostle calls the children of believing parents holy, 1 Cor. 
xii. 14. Which cannot be understood of a real and inhe- 
rent, but only of a relative and covenanted holiness, by 
virtue of which, being born of believing parents, them- 
selves are accounted in the number of believers, and are 
therefore called holy children under the gospel, in the 
same sense that the people of Israel were called a holy 
people under the law, Deut. vii. 6. and xiv. 2, 21. as be- 
ing all within the covenant of grace, which, through the 
faith of their parents, is thus sealed to them in baptism. 

Not that I think it necessary, that all parents should be 
endued with what we call a saving faith, to entitle their 
children to these privileges (for then none but the chil- 
dren of such whp have the Spirit of Christ truly implanted 
in them, would be qualified to partake of the covenant) 
but even such, who by an outward historical faith have 
taken the name of Christ upon them, are by that means 
in covenant with God, and so accounted holy in respect of 
their profession, whatever they may be in point of prac- 
tice. And if they are themselves holy, it follows of 
course, that their children must be so too, they being 
esteemed as parts of their parents, till made distinct mem- 
bers in the body of Christ, or, at least, till they come to 
the use of their reason, and the improvement of their na- 
tural abilities. 

And therefore, though the seal be changed, yet the co- 
venant privileges, wherewith the parties stipulating unto 
God were before invested, are no whit altered or dimi- 
nished ; believers' children being as really confederates 
with their parents, in the covenant of grace now, as they 
were before under the Jewish administration of it. And 
this seems to be altogether necessary ; for otherwise, in- 
fants should be invested with privileges under the type, 
and be deprived of, or excluded from them, under the 



THOUGHTS ON RELIGION. 79 

more perfect accomplishment of the same covenant in the 
thing typified ; and so the dispensations of God's grace 
would be more strait and narrow since, than they were 
before the coming of our Saviour, which I look upon to 
be no less than blasphemy to assert. 

And, upon this ground, I believe, it is as really the 
duty of Christians to baptize their children now, as ever it 
was the duty of the Israelites to circumcise theirs ; and 
therefore St. Peter's question, Can any man forbid water, 
that these should not be baptized, who have received the Holy 
Ghost as well as we 9 Acts x. 47. may very properly be 
applied to this case. Can any man forbid water, that chil- 
dren should not be baptized, who are in covenant with the 
most high God as well as we ? For what is it, I pray, that 
the right to baptism doth depend upon ? Surely, not upon 
performing the conditions of the covenant ; for then none 
shall be baptized, but such as are true believers in them- 
selves, and known to be so by us, and, by consequence, 
none at all ; it being only God's prerogative to search their 
hearts, and to know the truth of that grace, which him- 
self hath been pleased to bestow upon them. But chil- 
dren's right to baptism is grounded upon the outward pro- 
fession of their believing parents ; so that as a king may be 
crowned in his cradle, not because he is able to w r eild the 
sceptre, or manage the affairs of his kingdom, but because 
he is heir to his father : so here, children are not therefore 
baptized because they are able to perform the conditions of 
the covenant, which is sealed to them, but because they 
are children to believing parents. And this seems yet to 
be farther evident, from the very nature of seals, which 
are not administered or annexed to any covenant, because 
the conditions are already performed, but rather that they 
may be performed ; and so children are not baptized be- 
cause they are already true Christians, but that they may 
be so hereafter. 

As for a command for infant baptism, I believe, that the 
same law that enjoined circumcision to the Jewish, enjoins 
baptism likewise to Christian children, there being the 
same reason for both. The reason why the Jewish chil- 
dren were to be circumcised, was because they were Jew- 
ish children, born of such as professed the true worship of 
God, and were in covenant w r ith him ; and there is the 
same reason why Christian children are to be baptized, 
even because they are Christian children, born of such as 
profess the true worship of the same God, and are confe- 

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80 THOUGHTS ON RELIGION. 

derates in the same covenant with the Jews themselves, 
And, as there is the same reason, so likewise the same end 
for both, viz. That the children might be actually admit- 
ted into the same covenant with their parents, and have it 
visibly confirmed to them by this initiating seal put upon 
them : so that circumcision and baptism are not two dis- 
tinct seals, but the same seal diversely applied ; the one 
being but as a type of the other, and so to give place to 
it, whensoever, by the institution of Christ, it should be 
brought into the church of God. And therefore, the com- 
mand for initiating children into the church by baptism, 
remains still in force, though circumcision, which was the 
type and shadow of it, be done away. And for this rea- 
son, I believe, that w r as there never a command in the 
New Testament for infant baptism, yet, seeing there is 
one for circumcision in the Old, and for baptism, as com- 
ing into the place of it, in the New, I should look upon 
baptism as necessarily to be applied to infants now, as cir- 
cumcision was then. 

But why should it be supposed, that there is no com- 
mand in the New Testament for infant baptism ? There 
are several texts that seem to imply its being practised in 
the first preaching of the gospel, as particularly in the case 
of Lydia and the keeper of the prison, Acts xvi. 15, 33. 
who had their whole families baptized, and we no where 
find that children were excepted. On the contrary, St, 
Peter exhorting the converted Jews to be baptized, makes 
use of this argument to bring them to it, For the promise, 
says he, is unto you and to your children, Acts ii. 38, 39. 
which may as reasonably be understood of their infants, as 
of then* adult posterity. But, besides, it was the express 
command of Christ to his disciples, that they should go, 
and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Fa- 
ther, Son, and Holy Ghost, Matt, xxviii. 19. The mean- 
ing of which words I take to be this ; go ye, and preach 
the gospel among all nations, and endeavour thereby to 
bring them over to the embracing of it ; that leaving all 
Jewish ceremonies and heathenish idolatries, they may 
profess my name, and become my disciples, receive the 
truth, and follow me ; which if they do, I charge you to 
baptize them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy 
Ghost ; for the word Matheteusate doth not signify to teach, 
but to make disciples, denoting the same here, that mathe- 
kis poiein doth upon the like occasion, John iv. 1 . 

And this is the sense that all the ancient translations 



THOUGHTS ON RELIGION. Si 

agree in : nor, indeed, will the text itself bear any other ; 
especially, not that of teaching ; for though the apostles 
should have taught all nations, yet they were not present- 
ly to baptize them unless they became disciples, and pro- 
fessors of the doctrine that they were taught. A man may 
be taught the doctrine of the gospel, and yet not believe 
it ; and even though he should believe, yet unless he open- 
ly profess his faith in it, he ought not presently to be bap- 
tized. For, without this outward profession, the very 
professing of Christ cannot entitle a man to this privilege 
before men, though it doth before God ; because we can- 
not know how any one stands affected towards Christ, but 
only by his outward profession of him. It is the inward 
profession of Christ's person that entitles us to the inward 
spiritual grace : but it is the outward profession of his 
name only, that entitles us to the outward visible sign in 
baptism : so that a man must, of necessity, be a profess- 
ed disciple of the gospel, before he can be admitted into 
the church of Christ. And hence it is, that the words 
must necessarily be understood of discipling, or bringing 
the nations over to the profession of the Christian religion ; 
or else we must suppose, what ought not to be granted, 
that our Saviour must command many that were visible 
enemies to his cross, to be received into his church ; for 
many of the Jews were taught and instructed in the doc- 
trine of the gospel, who, notwithstanding, were invete- 
rate enemies unto Christ. They were taught that he was 
the Messiah, and saviour of the world, and that whosoever 
believed in him should not perish, but have everlasting life; 
and they had all the reason in the world to be convinced 
of it : yet, I hope, there is none will say, that the bare 
knowledge of, or tacit assent unto, these things, are a suf- 
ficient ground for their reception into the church. 

Now, as it was in the Jewish church,, when any o.ie 
became a proselyte, not only himself, but whatsoever chil- 
dren he had, were to be circumcised ; so in the church 
of Christ, whensoever any person is brought over into the 
profession of the Christian religion, his seed are equally 
invested with the outward privileges of it with himself, 
though they be not as yet come to years of discretion, nor 
able, of themselves, to make their profession of that reli- 
gion they are to be received and baptized into. ' For, so 
long as children are in their infancy, they are (as I before 
observed) looked upon as parts of their parents, and are 
therefore accounted holy, by the outward profession which 

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82 THOUGHTS ON RELIGION. 

their parents, under whom they are comprehended, make 
of it; and in this sense, 1 Cor. viii. 14. the unbelieving hus- 
band is said to be sanctified by the believing wife, and the un- 
believing wife by the believing husband, that is, man and 
wife being made one flesh, they are denominated, from 
the better part holy, and so are their children too. 

And hence it is, that I verily believe, that in the com- 
mission which our Saviour gave to his apostles, to disciple 
and baptize all nations, he meant, that they should preach 
the gospel in all nations, and thereby bring over all per- 
sons of understanding and discretion to the profession of 
his name, and in them, their children ; and to engraft 
both root and branch into himself, the true vine, by bap- 
tizing both parents and children in the name of the Father > 
Son, and Holy Ghost 

The main objection against this is, that infants are not 
in a capacity either to learn and understand their duty in 
this covenant, or to stipulate and promise for their future 
performance of the conditions of it. But this difficulty is 
easily removed, when I consider, that it is not by virtue 
of their own faith and knowledge, but that of their pa- 
rents, that they are admitted to this sacrament ; nor is it 
required, that they should stipulate or promise in their own 
persons, but by their god-fathers or sponsors, who enter 
into this engagement for them, and "oblige them, when 
they come to age, to take it upon themselves ; which ac- 
cordingly they do. And this engagement by proxy, does 
as effectually bind them to the performance of the condi- 
tions, as if they were actually in a capacity to have stipu- 
lated for themselves, or sealed the covenant in their own 
persons. For these spiritual signs or seals are not design- 
ed to make God's word surer to us, but only to make our 
faith stronger in him ; nor are they of the substance of the 
covenant, but only for the better confirmation of it. 

And, as baptism thus comes in the place of the Jews* 
circumcision, so doth our Lord's supper answer to their 
passover. Their paschal lamb represented our Saviour 
Christ, and the sacrificing it the shedding of his blood 
upon the cross ; and as the passover w r as the memorial of 
the Israelites' redemption from Egypt's bondage, Exod. 
xii. 14. so is the Lord's supper the memorial of our re- 
demption from the slavery of sin, and assertion into Chris- 
tian liberty ; or rather, it is a solemn and lively represen- 
tation of the death of Christ and offering it again to God, 
as an atonement for sin, and reconciliation to his favour, 



THOUGHTS ON RELIGION. 83 

So that, I believe, this sacrament of the Lord's supper 
under the gospel, succeeds to the rite of sacrificing under, 
the law ; and is properly called the Christian sacrifice, as 
representing the sacrifice of Christ upon the cross. And 
the end of both is the same : for, as the sacrifices under 
the law were designed as a propitiation or atonement for 
sins, by transferring the punishment from the offerer to 
the thing offered, which is therefore called the accursed 
thing, as we read, Lev. xvii. 11. So, under the gospel, 
we are told, that it was for this end that our Saviour died, 
and suffered in our stead, that he might obtain the pardon 
of our sins, and reconcile us to his Father, by laying the 
guilt of them upon his own person. And accordingly, he 
says of himself, that he came to give his life a ransom for 
many, Matt. xx. 28. And St. Paul tells us, 2 Cor. v. 21. 
that he was made sin for us, who knew no sin.. 

And as the end of both institutions was the same, so 
they were both equally extended. The paschal lamb was 
ordered for all the congregation of Israel, and so is the sa- 
crament of the Lord's supper to be administered to all the 
faithful people in Christ, that do not exclude themselves 
from it. And for this reason, I believe, that as all the 
congregation of Israel was to eat the passover, so is all the 
society of Christians to receive the Lord's supper ; those 
only to be excepted, who are altogether ignorant of the 
nature of that covenant it seals, or openly and scandalous- 
ly guilty of the breach of the conditions it requires. 

But why, say some, should there be any exception ? 
Did not Christ die for all mankind ? And is not that death 
said to be a full, perfect, and sufficient sacrifice, oblation ? 
and satisfaction for the sins of the whole world ? All this is 
true, but it does not from hence follow, that all men must 
be actually saved and absolved from their sins, by virtue 
of his death. No, it is only they, who apply to themselves 
the merit of his passion, by partaking duly of this holy 
sacrament, which is the proper means by which these bles- 
sings are conveyed to us, whereby we are sealed to the day 
of redemption. I say, duly, because though this sacrament 
was ordained for all, yet all will not make themselves wor- j 
thy of it ; and those that are not so, are so far from reap- . 
ing any benefit from it, that, as the apostle says, they cat * 
and drink their own damnation, not discerning the Lord's body, 
1 Cor. xi. 29. And therefore, I believe, that as in the in- 
stitution of the passover there were some particular duties 
and ceremonies enjoined for the better solemnization of it ; 

D 6 



S4i THOUGHTS ON RELIGION. 

so there are some preparatory duties and qualifications ne- 
cessarily required for the celebration of the Lord's supper, 
which, before I presume to partake of it, I must always 
use my utmost endeavours to exercise myself in. And 
these are, 

First, That I should examine, confess, and bewail my 
sins before God, with a true sense of, and sorrow for 
them ; and taking firm resolutions for the time to come, 
utterly to relinquish, and forsake them, solemnly engage ! 
myself in a new and truly Christian course of life. 

Secondly, That I should be in perfect charity with all 
men, L e. That I should heartily forgive those who have 
any ways injured or offended me ; and make restitution or 
satisfaction to such whom I have, in any respect, injured 
or offended myself. 

Thirdly, That I should, with an humble and obedient 
heart, exercise the acts of faith, and love, and devotion, 
during the celebration of that holy mystery ; and express 
the sense I have of this mystery, by devout praises and 
thanksgivings for the great mercies and favours that God 
vouchsafes to me therein ; and by all the ways and mea- 
sures of charity that he has prescribed, manifest my love 
and beneficence to my Christian brethren. 

These are the proper graces, this the wedding-garment 
that every true Christian, who comes to be a guest at this 
holy supper, ought to be clothed and invested with. 

" Do thou, O blessed Jesus, adorn me with this holy 
** robe, and inspire my soul with such heavenly qualities 
iC and dispositions as these ; and then I need not fear, but 
(< that as oft as I eat ihejiesh of Christ, and drink his blood, 
" I shall effectually obtain the pardon and remission of my 
" sins, the sanctifying influences of his holy Spirit, and a 
44 certain interest in the kingdom of glory." 

See farther, Treatise of the Sacrament. 

ARTICLE XI. 

/ believe that after a short separation, my soul and body shall 
be united together again, in order to appear before the 
judgment-seat of Christ, and be finally sentenced accord* 
ifig to my deserts, 

I KNOW this oody, which, for the present, I am tied 
to, is nothing else but a piece of clay, made up into the 



THOUGHTS ON RELIGION. 85 

frame and fashion of man ; and therefore, as it was first 
taken from the dust, so shall it return to dust again : 
but then 1 believe, on the other hand, that it shall be as 
really raised from the earth, as ever it shall be carried to 
it ; yea, though perhaps it may go through a hundred, or 
a thousand changes, before that day come. There are, I 
confess, some points in this article, which are hardly to 
be solved by human reason ; but, I believe, there are none 
so difficult, but what may be reconciled by a divine faith : 
though it be too hard for me to know, yet it is not too hard 
for God to do. He that should have told me some years 
ago, that my body then was, or should be a mixture of 
particles fetched from so many parts of the world, and un- 
dergo so many changes and alterations, as to become in a 
manner new, should scarce have extorted the belief of it 
from me, though now I perceive it to be a real truth ; the 
meats, fruits, and spices, which we eat, being transport- 
ed from several different places and nations, and, by natu- 
ral digestion, transfused into the constitution of the body. 
And why should not I believe, that the same almighty 
power, who made these several beings or particles of mat- 
ter, by which 1 am fed and sustained, can as easily, with 
his word, recall each particle again from the most secret 
or remote place that it can possibly be transported to ? Or, 
that he who framed me out of the dust, can with as much 
ease gather all the scattered parts of the body, and put 
them together again, as he at first formed them into such 
a shape, and infused into it a spiritual being. 

And this article of my faith, I believe, is not only 
grounded upon, but may, even by the force of reason, be 
deduced from, the principles of justice and equity ; justice 
requiring that they who are co-partners in vice and virtue, 
should be co-partners also in punishments and rewards. 
There is scarce a sin a man commits, but his body hath a 
share in it ; for though the sin committed would not be a sin 
without the soul, yet it could not be committed without 
the body ; the sinfulness of it depends upon the former, 
but the commission of it may lawfully be charged upon the 
latter : the body could not sin, if the soul did not consent ; 
nor could the soul sin (especially so oft) if the body did not 
tempt to it. And this is particularly observable in the sins 
of adultery, drunkenness and gluttony, which the soid of 
itself cannot commit, neither would it ever consent unto 
them, did not the prevalent humours of the body, as it 
were, force it to do so. For, in these sins, the act that is 



86 THOUGHTS ON RELIGION. 

sinful is wholly performed by the body, though the ful- 
ness of that act doth principally depend upon the soul. 

Neither is the body only partner with the soul in these 
grosser sins ; but even the more spiritual sins, which seem 
to be most abstracted from the temperature of the body, as 
if they depended only upon the pravity and corruption of 
the soul : I say, even these are partly to be ascribed to the 
body. For instance, an atheistical thought, which, one 
would think, was to be laid upon the soul, because the 
thought takes its rise from thence ; yet if we seriously 
weigh and consider the matter, we shall find, that it is 
usually the sinful affections of the body that thus debauch 
the mind into these blasphemous thoughts : and that it is 
the pleasures of sense that first suggested them to us, and 
raise them in us. And this appears, in that there was no 
person that ever was, or indeed ever can be, an atheist at 
all times ; but such thoughts spring up in the fountain of 
the soul, only when mudded with fleshly pleasures. And 
thus it is in most other sins ; the carnal appetite having 
gotten the reins into his hand, it misleads the reason, and 
hurries the soul wheresoever it pleaseth. And, what then 
can be more reasonable, than that the body should be pu- 
nished, both for its usurping the soul's prerogative, and 
for its tyrannizing so much over that, which, at the first, 
it was made to be subject to ? 

But farther, it is the body that enjoys the pleasure, and 
therefore, good reason, that the body should likewise bear 
the punishment of the sin. Indeed, I cannot perceive, 
how it can stand with the principles of justice, but that the 
body, which both accompanies the soul in sin, enjoys 
the pleasures of it, and leads the soul into it, should 
bear a share in the miseries which are due to, and inflicted 
upon it. For what doth justice require, but to punish the 
person that offends, for the offence he commits ? whereas 
if the soul only, and not the body, were to suffer, the per- 
son would not sulfer at all, the body being part of the per- 
son, as well as the soul, and therefore the soul no person 
without the body. 

Hence it is, that though the scriptures had been silent 
in this point, yet methinks I could not but have believ- 
ed : how much more firm and steadfast, then, ought I to 
be in my faith, when truth itself hath been pleased so ex- 
pressly to affirm it ? For this saith the Lord of hosts, Thy 
dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they 
arise, Isaiah xxvi. 19- And many of them that sleep in the 
dust of the earth shall awake } some to everlasting life, ani 



THOUGHTS ON RELIGION. 87 

some to shame and everlasting contempt, Dan. xii. 2. And 
thus saith the Saviour of the world, who is the way, the 
truth, and the life : the hour is coming, in which all that 
are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth ; 
they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life ; and 
they thai have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation, 
John v. 28, 2,9. The same hath it pleased his divine Ma- 
jesty to assert and prove with his own mouth, Matt. xxii. 
31, 32. and by his Spirit, 2 Cor. xv. and in many other 
places : from all which, I may, with comfort and confi- 
dence, draw the same conclusion that holy Job did, and 
say, / know that my Redeemer livetk, and that he shall stand 
at the latter day upon the earth ; and though after my skin, 
worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God ; 
whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and 
not another, though my reins be consumed within me, Job 
xix. 25, 26, 27. 

And, as I believe my body shall be thus raised from the 
grave, so I believe the other part of me, my soul, shall ne- 
ver be carried to it ; I mean it shall never die, but shall be 
as much, yea, more alive, when I am dying, than it is 
now ; so mucli my soul shall be the more active in itself, 
by how much it is less tied and subjected to the body. 

And farther I believe, that so soon as ever my breath 
is out of my nostrils, my soul shall remove her lodging 
into the other world, there to live as really to eternity, as 
I now live here in time. Yea, I am more certain, that my 
soul sliall return to God who gave it, than that my body 
- shall return to the earth, out of which I had it. For I 
know, it is possible my body may be made immortal, but 
I am sure my soul shall never be mortal. I know, that 
at the first, the body did equally participate of immortali- 
ty with the soul, and that had not sin made the divorce, 
they had lived together, like loving mates, to all eternity. 
And I dare not affirm that Enoch and Elias underwent the 
common fate; or suppose they did, yet sure I am, the 
time will come, when thousands of men and women shall 
not be dissolved and die, but be immediately changed and 
caught up into heaven, or to their eternal confusion, thrust 
down into hell; whose bodies, therefore, shall undergo 
no such thing as rotting in the grave, or being eaten up of 
worms, but, together with their souls, shall immediately 
launch into the vast ocean of eternity. But who ever yet 
read or heard of a soul's funeral ? Who is it ? Where is 
the man ? Or, what is his name, that wrote the history of 



SS THOUGHTS ON RELIGION. 

her life and death ? Can any disease arise in a spiritual 
substance, wherein there is no such thing as contrariety of 
principles or qualities to occasion any disorder or distem- 
per ? Can an angel be sick or die ? And, if not an angel, 
why a soul, which is endowed with the same spiritual 
nature here, and shall be adorned with the same eternal 
glory hereafter ? No, no, deceive not thyself, my soul ; 
for it is more certain, that thou shalt always live, than 
that thy body shall ever die. 

Not that I think my soul must always live, in despite 
of omnipotence itself, as if it was not in the power of the 
Almighty, to take my being and existence from me ; for 
I know, I am but a potsherd in the potter's hands, and 
that it is as easy for him to dash me in pieces now, as it 
was to raise it up at the first. I believe, it is as easy for 
him to command my soul out of its being, as out of its 
body ; and to send me back into my mother's nothing, out 
of whose womb he took me, as it was at first to fetch me 
thence. I know he could do it, if he would, but himself 
hath said, he will not, and therefore, I am sure, he can- 
not do it ; and that, not because he hath not power, but 
because he hath not will to do it ; it being impossible for 
him to do that which he doth not will to do. And that it 
is not his will or pleasure even to annihilate my soul, I 
have it under his own hand, that my dust shall return to 
the earth as it was ; and my spirit to God that gave it, EccL 
xii. 7. And if it return to God, it is so far from return- 
ing to nothing, that it returns to the Being of all beings ; 
and so death to me, will be nothing more than going home 
to my father and mother ; my soul goes to my father, God; 
and my body to my mother, earth. 

Thus, likewise, hath it pleased his sacred Majesty to 
assure me, that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were 
dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with 
hands j eternal in the heavens, 2 Cor. v. 1. so clearly hath 
the great God brought life and immortality to light through 
the gospel, 2 Tim. i. 10. The light of nature shews the 
soul can never perish or be dissolved, without the imme*. 
diate interposition of God's omnipotence, and we have his 
own divine word for it, that he will never use that power, 
in the dissolution of it. And therefore I may, with the 
greatest assurance, affirm and believe, that as really as I 
now live, so really shall I never die ; but that my soul, at 
the very moment of its departure from the flesh, shall im- 
mediately mount up to the tribunal of the most high God, 



THOUGHTS ON RELIGION. 89 

there to be judged, first privately, by itself, (or perhaps 
with some other souls that shall be summoned to appear 
before God the same moment :) and then, from these pri- 
vate sessions, I believe that every soul that ever was, or 
shall be separated from the body, must either be received 
into the mansions of heaven, or else sent down to the dun- 
geon of hell, there to remain till the grand assizes, the 
judgment of the great day, when the trumpet shall sound, and 
the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be cliang- 
ed, 1 Cor. xv. 52. And when our bodies, by the word of 
the almighty God, shall be thus called together again, I 
believe that our souls shall be all prepared to meet them, 
and be united again to them, and so both appear before the 
judgment-seat of Christ, to receive sentence according to what 
they have done in the flesh, whether it be good, or whether it 
be evil. And, though it is very difficult, or rather impos- 
sible, for me to conceive or determine the particular cir- 
cumstance of this grand assize, or manner and method 
how it shall be managed, yet, from the light and intima- 
tions that God has vouchsafed to give us of it, I have 
ground to believe, it will be ordered and carried after this, 
or the like manner. 

The day and place being appointed by the King of kings, 
the glorious Majesty of heaven, and Saviour of the world, 
Jesus Christ, who long ago received his commission from 
the Father to be the judge of the quick and dead, John v. 
22. Acts xvii. 31. shall descend from heaven with the shout 
of the archangel, and with the trump of God, 1 Thess. iv. 16. 
royally attended with an innumerable company of glorious 
angels, Matt. xxv. 51. These he shall send with the great 
sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his 
elect from the four winds, from the one end of heaven to 
the other, chap. xxiv. 31. yea, and the wicked too, from 
whatsoever place they shall be in ; and then shall he sever 
the wicked from the just, Matt. xiii. 49- So that all nations, 
and every particular person, that ever did, or ever shall 
live upon the face of the earth, shall be gathered together 
before him, and he shall separate the one from the other, 
as a shepherd divideth the sheep from the goats, and he 
shall set the sheep on his right hand, and the goats upon 
the left, Matt. xxv. 32, 33. 

Things being thus set in order, the judge shall read his 
commission, i. e. declare and manifest himself to be the judge 
of all the earth, sent by the God of heaven to judge them 
that had condemned him, and, in that very body, that 



90 THOUGHTS ON RELIGION. 

was once crucified upon the cross, at Jerusalem, for our 
sins. So that all the world shall then behold him shining 
in all his glory and majesty, and shall acknowledge him 
to be now, what they would not believe him to be before, 
even both God and man, and so the judge of all the world, 
from whom there can be no appeal. 

And having thus declared his commission, I believe the 
first work he will go upon, will be to open the book of 
God's remembrance, and to cause all the indictments to be 
read, that are there found on record against those on his 
right hand ; but behold, all the black lines of their sins 
being blotted out, with the red lines of their Saviour's 
blood, and nothing but their good works, their prayers, 
their sermons, their meditations, their alms and the like, 
to be found there ; the righteous judge, before whom they . 
stand, turning himself before them, with a serene and smil- 
ing countenance, will declare to them before all the world, 
that their sins are pardoned, and their persons accepted 
by him, as having believed in him ; and therefore will he 
immediately proceed to pronounce the happy sentence of 
election on them, saying, Come, ye blessed of my Father, in* 
herit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the 
world. 

The sentence being thus pronounced, the righteous (and 
I hope myself amongst the rest) shall go up with shouts of 
joy and triumph, to sit with our blessed Redeemer, to 
judge the other parts of the world, who sit at the left hand 
of the tribunal, with ghastly countenances and trembling 
hearts, to receive their last and dreadful doom. Against 
these all the sins that they committed, or were guilty of, 
shall be brought up in judgment against them, as they are 
found on record in the book of God's remembrance, and 
the indictments read against every particular person, high 
or low, for every particular sin, great or small which they 
have committed. 

And the truth of this indictment shall be attested by 
their own consciences, crying, Guilty, guilty ; I say, by 
their own consciences, which are as a thousand witnesses : 
yea, and by the omniscience of God too, which is as a 
thousand consciences. And therefore, without any far- 
ther delay, shall the judge proceed to pronounce ths sen- 
tence, the doleful sentence of condemnation upon them, 
Depart, ye cursed, into everlasting fire prepared for the devil 
and his angels. 

This, I believe, or such like, will be the method of 



THOUGHTS ON RELIGION. 91 

Christ's proceeding with us in that great and terrible day 
of trial and retribution. 

" Oh ! may those awful thoughts and ideas of it always 
" accompany rne, and strike such a deep and lively im- 
" pression upon my heart, hi every action of life, as to de- 
" ter me from offending this just and Almighty being, in 
(e whose power it is to destroy both soul and body in hell ; 
" and engage me in such a regular, strict, and conscien- 
" tious course of life, as to be always ready, whenever 
cc he shall please to summon me, to give in my accounts 
u at the great audit, and with an holy assurance fly for 
" mercy and succour into the hands of my Redeemer, and 
" be permitted to enter into the joys of his rest ¥' 

ARTICLE XII. 

/ believe there are two other worlds, besides this Hive in ; a 
world of misery for unrelenting sinners, and a world of 
glory fw* believing saints. 

TTTHEN death hath opened the cage of flesh, wherein 
* » the soul is penned up, whither it flies, or how it sub- 
sists, I think it not easy to determine, or indeed to con- 
ceive. As for the Platonic serial and aetherial vehicles, suc- 
ceeding this terrestrial one, I find neither mention of, nor 
warrant for them in the word of God. And, indeed, to 
suppose that a spiritual substance cannot subsist of itself, 
without being supported by a corporeal vehicle, is, in my 
opinion, too gross a conceit for any philosopher, much 
more for one that professes himself a divine, to advance or 
entertain. Only this I am sure of, that according to the 
distinction of lives here into good or bad, and the sen- 
tence passed upon all hereafter, of absolution or condemna- 
tion, there will be a twofold receptacle for the souls of 
men, the one of happiness, the other of misery. 

As to the first, I believe, that at the great and general 
assizes of the world, there will be a glorious entrance open- 
ed for the righteous into the holy of holies, the seat and 
fountain of all bliss and happiness, where they shall draw 
nigh to the most high God, behold his presence in righte- 
ousness, and reign with him for ever in glory, where we 
shall see him face tojace, 1 Cor. xiii. 12. and know him the 
only true God, and Jesus Christ whom he hath sent, John 
xvii. 3. And this knowing and beholding God face to 
face, is, L believe, the very heaven of heavens, even the 
highest happiness that it is possible a creature should be 



92 THOUGHTS ON RELIGION. 

made capable of : for in having a perfect knowledge of 
God, we shall have a perfect knowledge of all things, that 
ever were, are, shall, yea, or can be in the world. For 
God being the Being of all beings, in seeing him, we shall 
not only see whatsoever hath been, but whatsoever can 
be communicated from him. The contemplation of which, 
cannot but ravish and transport my spirit beyond itself ; 
especially, when I consider, that in knowing this One 
All-things, God, I cannot but enjoy whatsoever it is pos- 
sible any creature should enjoy. For the knowing of a 
thing is the soul's enjoyment of it ; the understanding be- 
ing to the soul, what the senses are to the body. And, 
therefore, as the body enjoys nothing but by its senses, so 
neither doth the soul enjoy any thing but by its understand- 
ing. And, as the body is said to have whatsoever affects 
its proper senses, so may the soul be said to have whatso- 
ever comes under its knowledge. Nay, the soul so far 
hath what it knows, that in a manner, it is what it knows ; 
itself being, in a spiritual manner, enlarged, according to 
the extent of the objects which it knows, as the body is 
by the meat it eats ; the truths we know turning into sub- 
stance of our souls, as the meat we eat doth into the sub- 
stance of our bodies. 

But oh ! what a rare soul shall I then have, when it 
shall be extended to every thing that ever was, or ever 
could have been ! What a happy creature shall I then be, 
when I shall know, and so enjoy him that is all things in 
himself ! What can a creature desire more ? yea, what 
more can a creature be made capable of enjoying or desir- 
ing ! And that which always will accompany this our know- 
ledge and enjoyment, is, perfect love to what we enjoy 
and know, without which we should take pleasure in no- 
thing, though we should have all things to take pleasure 
in. But who will be able not to love the chiefest good, 
that knows and enjoys him, and therefore enjoys him be- 
cause he knows him ? Questionless, in heaven, as I shall 
enjoy whatsoever I can love, so shall I love whatsoever I 
enjoy. And this, therefore, I believe to be the perfection 
of my happiness, and the happiness of my perfection, 
in the other world ; that I shall perfectly know and love, 
and so, perfectly enjoy and rejoice in the most high God ; 
and shall be, as known, so perfectly loved, and rejoiced in 
him. And questionless, for all our shallow apprehensions 
and low estimations of these things now, they cannot 
choose but be vast and inconceivable pleasures, too great 
for any creature to enjoy whilst here below. 



THOUGHTS ON RELIGION. QS 

If we have but the least drop of these pleasures distilled 
into us here upon earth, how strangely do they make us,, 
as it were, beside ourselves, by lifting us above ourselves ! 
If we can but at any time get a glimpse of God, and of his 
love to us, how are we immediately carried beyond all 
other pleasures and contentments whatsoever ! How apt 
are we to say with Peter, It is good for us to be here ! and 
if the foretastes of the blessings of Canaan, if the dark in- 
timation of God's love to us, be so unspeakably pleasant, 
so ravishing delightsome ; Oh ! what will the full posses- 
sion of him be ! What transporting ecstasies of love and 
joy shall those blessed souls be possessed with, who shall 
behold the king of glory smiling upon them, rejoicing 
over them, and shining forth in all his love and glory upon 
them ! Oh ! what astonishing beauty will they then be- 
hold ! What flowing, what refreshing pleasures shall then 
solace and delight their spirits, unto all eternity ! Pleasures ! 
far greater then I am able either to express or conceive, 
much less to enjoy, on this side heaven ! my faculties are 
now too narrow and scanty for such an entertainment, and 
therefore, till they are spiritualized and enlarged, they 
cannot receive it ! This is the portion only of another 
world, this the cro?vn of righteousness, which the Lord the 
righteous judge reserves in heaven for me, and which at his 
second coming, he has promised to bestow upon me, and 
not upon me only , but upon allthemalso that love his appearing. 
As to the other state, viz. that of the wicked in another 
life, I believe, it will be as exquisitely miserable and 
wretched, as that of the righteous is happy and glorious. 
They will be driven for ever from the presence of the Lord, 
from those bright and blessed regions above, where Christ 
sits at the right hand of God, to those dark and dismal dun- 
geons below, where the devil and his angels are for ever 
doomed to be tormented. 

What sort of torments or punishments they are there 
to undergo, I am as unable to express, as I am unwilling 
ever to experience ; but according to the notions which 
scripture and reason give me of these matters, I believe 
they will be twofold, viz. 1. Primitive, and 2. Positive, 
that is, The wicked will not only be deprived of all that 
is good and happy, but actually condemned to all that 
is evil and miserable ; and this in the most transcendent 
degree. 

The first part of their punishment will consist in envi- 
ous melancholy, and self-condemning reflections upon 



94 THOUGHTS ON RELIGION. 

their having defeated and deprived themselves, not only of 
their carnal mirth and sensual enjoyments, their friends, 
fortunes, and estates in this world, but also of all the infi- 
nite joys and glories of the next, the presence of God, the 
society of saints and angels, and all the refreshing and ra- 
vishing delights which flow from the fruition of the chief- 
est good. And what adds yet farther to their anguish and 
remorse, is that they have lost the hopes of ever regaining 
any of these enjoyments ! 

Oh ! how infinitely tormenting and vexatious must such 
a condition be, which at once gives them a view both of 
the greatest happiness and the greatest misery, without the 
least hopes either of recovering the one, or being deliver- 
ed from the other ! How must they tear, torment, and 
curse themselves for their former follies ; and too late, 
wish that they had been stifled in the womb, or drowned 
in the font which was to be their second birth ? 

And, if the late privation of heaven and happiness be 
so miserable and tormenting, how will it rack their con- 
sciences, and fill their souls with horror and amazement, 
to behold the eternal God, the glorious Jehovah, in the 
fierceness of his wrath, continually threatenening to pour 
out his vengeance upon them ! how much more, when he 
positively consigns them over to the power of the devil, to 
execute his judgment in full measure ! when they are 
gnawed upon by the worm of their own consciences, feel 
the wrath of the Almighty flaming in their hearts, and 
fire and brimstone their continual torture ! and all this 
without the least alloy or mixture of refreshment, or the 
least hopes of ending or cessation. 

In a word, when they have nothing else to expect but 
misery for their portion, weeping and wailing for their 
constant employment, and the devil and damned fiends 
their only companions to all eternity: and this is that 
world of misery, which all that will not be persuaded to 
believe in Christ here, must be doomed for ever to live in 
hereafter. 

I know the subjects of this article were never the objects 
of my sight, though they are of my faith. I never yet 
saw heaven or hell, the places I am now speaking of ; but 
why should my faith be staggered or diminished because 
of that; I never saw Rome, Constantinople, or the flam- 
ing Sicilian hill Etna, yet I believe there is such a burning 
mountain, and such glorious cities ; because others, who 
have been there, have told me so, and faithful writers 



RESOLUTIONS. <)5 

have related and described them to me. And shall I be- 
lieve my fellow-worms, and not my great Creator, who is 
Truth itself? What though I never did see the New Je- 
rusalem that is above, nor the flaming tophet that is be- 
low ; yet since God himself hath both related and describ- 
ed them to me, why should I doubt of them ? Why should 
not I, a thousand times sooner, believe them to be, than 
if I had seen them with my own eyes ? v I cannot so much 
believe, that I now have a pen in my hand, have a book 
before me, and am writing, as I do and ought to believe 
that I shall, one day, and that ere long, be either in hea- 
ven or hell ; in the height of happiness, or in the depth of 
misery. 

I know my senses are fallible, and therefore may de- 
ceive me, but my God, I am sure, cannot. And there- 
fore let others raise doubts and scruples as they please, I 
am as fully satisfied and convinced of the truth of this ar- 
ticle, as any of the rest. 

" Do thou, O my God, keep me steadfast in this faith, 
" and give me grace so to fit and prepare myself to appear 
iC before thee, in the white robes of purity and holiness in 
ie another world, that whenever my dissolution comes, I 
" may cheerfully resign my spirit into the hands of my 
" Creator and Redeemer ; and from this crazy house of 
" clay, take my flight into the mansions of glory '; where 
" Christ sits at the right hand of God ; and with the joy- 
" ful choir of saints and angels, and the blessed spirits of 
"just men made perfect, chant forth thy praises to all 
" eternity." 



RESOLUTIONS 

FORME!) UPON THE FOREGOING ARTICLES, 

AS obedience without faith is impossible, so faith with- 
out obedience is vain and unprofitable : For as the bo- 
dy, says St. James, without the spirit is dead, so faith with- 
out good works is dead also, James ii. 26. Having there- 
fore, I hope laid a sure foundation, by resolving what, 
and how, to believe, I shall now, by the grace of God, 
resolve so to order my conversation, in all circumstances 
and conditions of life, as to raise a good superstructure 
upon it, and to finish the work God has given me to do, 



(J6 RESOLUTIONS. 

i. e. so as to love and please God in this world, as to enjoy 
and be happy with him for ever in the next. And it is ab- 
solutely necessary that I should be speedy and serious in 
these resolutions ; especially when I reflect with myself 
how much of my time I have already spent upon the va- 
nities and follies of youth, and how much enhanced and 
increased this work, by acquired guilt, by settled and re- 
peated habits of sin, which are not without great difficulty 
to be atoned for, and removed. My heart, alas ! is now 
more hardened in iniquity, more puffed with pride, and 
more averse from God, than when I first entered into cove- 
nant with him; and I have added many actual sins and 
provocations to my original guilt and pollution ; instead 
of glorifying God, I have dishonoured him: and, instead 
of working out my own salvation, I have taken a pleasure 
and delight in such things, as would in the end, be my 
ruin and destruction. So that, before I can be able to 
make any progress in the duties of religion, or walk in the 
paths that lead to life, I must first be freed and disentan- 
gled from these weights and incumbrances that clog and 
retard me in my spiritual course ; I must have my heart 
cleansed and softened, humbled and converted to God, 
and all my transgressions purged and pardoned by the me- 
- rits of my Redeemer. And then being fully persuaded, 
that there is no way for me to come to the joys of heaven, 
but by walking according to the strictest rules of holiness 
upon earth, I must endeavour for the future, by a thorough 
change and reformation of my life, to act in conformity to 
the divine will and pleasure in all things and perfect holi- 
ness in the fear of the Lord : for the Most High has told 
me in his word, that without holiness no man shall see the 
JiOrd, 

In order, therefore, to qualify myself for this happiness, 
it will be necessary for me to settle firm and steady reso- 
lutions, to fulfil my duty, in all the several branches of it 
to God, my neighbour, and myself; and to tf-ke care 
these resolutions be put in practice according to the follow- 
ing method. 



RESOLUTIONS. 97 

RESOLUTION L 

/ am resolved, by the grace of God, to walk by ride, and 
therefore think it necessary to resolve upon the rides to walk 
by. 

AND this rather, because I perceive the want of such 
rules has been the occasion of all, or most of my mis- 
carriages. For, what other reason can I assign to myself, 
for having trifled and sinned away so much time, as I 
have done in my younger years, but because I did not 
thoroughly resolve to spend it better ? What is the reason 
I have hitherto lived so unserviceably to God, so unpro- 
fitably to others, and so sinfully against my own soul ; 
but because I did not apply myself with that sincerity of 
resolution, diligence, and circumspection, as a wise man 
ought to have done, to discharge my duty in these parti- 
culars ? I have, indeed, often resolved to bid adieu to my 
sins and follies, and to enter upon a new course of life ; 
but these resolutions being not rightly formed upon steady 
principles, the first temptation made way for a relapse, 
and the same bait that first allured me, has no sooner been 
thrown in my way, but I have been as ready to catch at it 
again, and as greedy to swallow it, as ever. At other 
times again, I have acted without any thought or resolu- 
tion at all ; and then, though some of my actions might be 
good in themselves, yet being done by chance, and with- 
out any true design or intention, they could not be imputed 
to me as good, but rather the quite contrary : so that, in this 
respect, the want of resolution has not only been the oc- 
casion of my sinful actions, but the corruption of my 
good ones too. And shall I still go on in this loose and 
careless manner, as I have formerly done ? No, I now re- 
solve with myself, in the presence of the most high and 
eternal God, not only in general, to walk by rule, but to 
fix the rule I design to walk by ; so that, in all my thoughts 
and words, and actions, in all places, companies, relations, 
and conditions, I may still have a sure guide at hand to 
direct me, such a one as I can safely depend upon without 
any danger of being deceived or misled, that is, the holy 
scripture. And therefore, 



E 



£S RESOLUTIONS. 

RESOLUTION II. 

I am resolved, by the grace of God, to make the divine word 
the rule of all the rules I propose to myself, 

AS the will of God is the rule and measure of all that is 
good, so there is nothing deserves that name, but 
■what is agreeable and conformable thereto : and this will 
being fully revealed and contained in the holy scripture, 
it will be necessary for me in directing my course over the 
ocean of this world, that I should fix my eye continually 
upon this star, steer by this compass, and make it the 
only land mark, by which I am to be guided to my wish- 
ed-for haven. I must not, therefore, have recourse to the 
inward workings of my own roving fancy, or the corrupt 
dictates of my own carnal reason : these are but blind 
guides, and will certainly lead me into the ditch of error, 
heresy and irreligion, which in these our self-admiring 
days, so many poor souls have been plunged in. Alas ! 
how many hath the impetuous torrent of blind zeal and er- 
roneous conscience borne down into a will-worship and vo- 
luntary subjection of themselves to the spurious offspring 
of their own deluded fancies ! If the light that is within 
them doth but dictate any thing to be done ; or rather if 
the whimsy doth but take them, that they must do thus 
or thus, they presently set about it, without ever consult- 
ing the sacred writings, to see whether it is acceptable to 
God, or displeasing to him. Whereas, for my own part, 
I know not how any thing should be worthy of God's ac- 
cepting, that is not of God's commanding. I am sure the 
w T ord of God is the good old way that will certainly bring 
me to my father's house ; for how should that way but lead 
to heaven, which truth itself hath chalked out for me ? 
Not as if it was necessary, that every one of my resolutions 
should be contained word for word in the holy scriptures; 
it is sufficient that they be implied in, and agreeable there- 
to. So that, though the manner of my expressions may 
not be found in the word of God, yet the matter of my re- 
solutions may be clearly drawn from thence. But let me 
dive a little into the depth of my sinful heart ! What is the 
reason of my thus resolving upon such an exact conformi- 
ty to the will and word of God ? Is it to work my way to 
heaven with my own hands ? to purchase an inheritance 
in the land of Canaan, with the price of my own holiness 



RESOLUTIONS. 99 

and religion ? or to swim over the ocean of this world, into 
the haven of happiness, upon the empty bladders of my 
own resolutions ? No. 

RESOLUTION III. 

/ am resolved, that as I am not able to think or do any. thing 
that is good, without the influence of the divine grace ; so 
I will not pretend to merit any favour from God, upon ac* 
count of any thing I do for his glory and service, 

AND indeed, I may very well put this resolution 
amongst the rest ; for should I resolve to perform my 
resolutions by mine own strength, I might as well resolve 
never to perform them at all : for truth itself, and mine 
own woeful experience hath convinced me, that I am not 
able of myself, so much as to think a good thought; and 
how then shall I be able of myself, to resolve upon rules 
of holiness according to the word of God, or to order my 
conversation according to these resolutions, without the 
concurrence of the divine grace ? Alas ! should the great 
God be pleased to leave me to myself to resolve upon what 
is agreeable to my corrupt nature, what strange kind of 
resolutions should I make ? What should I resolve upon ? 
Certainly, only nothing but to gratify my carnal appetite 
with sensual and sinful pleasures, to indulge myself in riot 
and excess, to spend my time, and revel out my parts and 
talents, in the revels of sin and vanity. But no, to live 
holily, righteously, and godly in this present world, to deny 
my own will, that I may fulfil the will of God ; alas I 
such resolutions as these would never so much as come* 
into my thoughts, much less would they discover them- 
selves in my outward conversation. 

But, suppose I should be able to make good resolutions, 
and fulfil them exactly in my life and actions; yet, what 
should I do more than my duty ? And what should I be 
esteemed of for doing that ? Alas ! this is so far from puf- 
fing me up, that I am verily persuaded should I spend all 
my time, nay. parts, my strength, my gifts, for God, and 
all my estate upon the poor ; should I water my couch 
continually with my tears, and fast my body into a skele- 
ton : should I employ each moment of my life in the im- 
mediate worship of my glorious Creator : so that all my ac- 
tions, from my birth to my death, should be but one continu- 
ed act of holiness and obedience ; in a word, should I live 

E 2 



i^---. 



10$ RESOLUTIONS. 

like an angel in heaven, and die like a saint on earth, yet 
I know no truer, nor should I desire any better epitaph to 
be engraven upon my tomb than this, Here lies an unpro* 
/itable servant No, no ; it is Christ, and Christ alone, 
that my soul must support itself upon. It is holiness, 
indeed, that is the way to heaven ; but there is none, 
none but Christ can lead me to it. As the worst of my 
sins are pardonable by Christ, so are the best of my 
duties damnable without him. 

But if so, then whither tend my resolutions ? Why so 
strick, so circumspect a conversation ? Why, it is to justi- 
fy that faith before others, and mine own conscience, which, 
I hope, through Christ, shall justify my soul before God. 
And I believe farther, that the holier I live here, the hap- 
pier I shall live hereafter, for though I shall not be saved 
for my works, yet I believe, I shall be saved according to 
them. And thus, as I dare not expect to be saved by the 
performance of my resolutions without Christ's merit, so 
neither do I ever expect to be enabled to perform my reso- 
lutions, without his Spirit assisting me therein. 

No, " it is thyself, my God, and my guide, that I 
wholly and solely depend upon ! Oh ! for thine own sake, 
for thy Son's sake, and for thy promise sake, do thou both 
make me to know what thou wouldst have me to do, and 
then help me to do what thou wouldst have me to know I 
Teach me first what to resolve upon, and then enable me 
to perform my resolutions ; that I may walk with thee in 
the ways of holiness here, and rest with thee in the joys 
of happiness hereafter 1" 



CONCERNING MY CONVERSATION IN 
GENERAL. 

"AVING thus far determined in general, to form re- 
solutions for the better regulating of my life, I must 
now descend to particulars, and settle some rules with 
myself, to resolve my future life and conversation wholly 
into holiness and religion. I know this is a hard task to 
do ; but I am sure, it is no more than what my God and 
my Father has set me ; why therefore should I think 
much to do it ? Shall I grudge to spend my life for him, 
who did not grudge to spend his own blood for me ! Shall 
not I so live, that he may be glorified here on earth, who 
died that I might be glorified in heaven, especially consi- 



RESOLUTIONS, 101 

dering, that if my whole life could be sublimated into ho- 
liness, and moulded into an exact conformity unto the 
will of the Most High, I should be happy beyond expres- 
sion ? Oh ! what a heaven should I then have on earth ! 
What ravishments of love and joy would my soul be con- 
tinually possessed with ! Well ; I am resolved, by the 
grace of God, to try ; and to that end, do } this morning, 
wholly sequester and set myself apart for God, resolving?, 
by the assistance of his grace, to make all and every 
thought, word, and action, to pay their tribute unto him. 
Let this man mind his profit ; a second, his pleasures ; a 
third, his honours ; a fourth, himself; and all their sins ; 
I am resolved to mind and serve my God, so as to make 
him the Alpha and Omega, the first and last of my whole, 
life. And, that I may always have an exact copy before 
me, to write and frame every letter of this my life by ; 

RESOLUTION I. 

/ am resolved, by the grace of God, to make Christ ihz 
'pattern of my life here, that so Christ may be the portion 
of my soul hereafter. 

LET the whole world go whither it will, I am resolved 
to walk in the steps that my Saviour went in before 
me : I shall endeavour in all places I come into, in all 
companies I converse with, in all the duties I undertake, 
in all the miseries I undergo, still to behave myself as my 
Saviour would do, was he in my place. So that where- 
soever I am, or whatsoever I am about, I shall still put 
this question to myself, Would my Saviour go hither ? 
Would he do this or that ? And, every morning, consider 
with myself, Suppose my Saviour was in my stead, had 
my business to do, how would he demean himself this day? 
How meek and lowly would he be in his carriage and de- 
portment ? How circumspect in his walking ? How sa- 
voury in his discourse ? How heavenly in all, even hia 
earthly employments ? well, and I am resolved, by strength 
from himself, to follow him as near as possible. I know, 
I can never hope perfectly to transcribe this copy, but I 
must endeavour to imitate it in the best manner I can, that 
so by doing as he did, in time I may be where he is to all 
eternity. But alas ! his life was spiritual, and / am car- 
naly sold wider sin ; and every pretty object that doth but 
please my senses, will be apt to divert and draw away my 

E S 



102 RESOLUTIONS. 

soul from following his steps. In order, therefore, to pre- 
vent this, 

RESOLUTION II. 

I am resolved, by the grace of 'God, to walk by faith, and not 
by sight, on earth, that so I may live by sight, and not by 
Jhitli, in heaven, 

A ND truly, this resolution is so necessary to the per- 
^^- formance of all the rest, thaj without it I can do no- 
thing, with it I can do every thing that is required. The 
reason why I am so much taken-! with the garnish and 
seeming beauty of this world's vanities, so as to step out 
of the road of holiness to catch at, or delight myself in 
'them, is only because I look upon them with an eye of 
sense. For could I behold every thing with the eye of 
faith, I should judge of them, not as they seem tome, but 
as they are in themselves, Vanity and vexation of spirit. 
For, faith has a quick and piercing eye, that can look 
through the outward superficies, into the inward essence 
of things. It can look through the pleasing bait to the hid- 
den hook, view the sting, as well as the honey, the ever- 
lasting punishment, as well as the temporal contentment 
there is in sin. It is, as the apostle very well defines it, 
the substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things 
not seen, Heb. xi. 1. It is the substance of whatsoever is 
promised by God to me, or expected by me from him : So 
that, by faith, whatsoever I hope for in heaven, I may 
have the substance of upon earth : and it is the evidence of 
things not seen, the presence of what is absent, the clear 
demonstration of what would otherwise seem impossible ; 
so that I can clearly discern, as through a perspective, hid- 
den things, and things afar off, as if they were open, and 
just at hand ; I can look into the deepest mysteries, as ful- 
ly revealed, and see heaven and eternity as just ready to 
receive me. 

And, Oh, could I but always look through this glass, 
and be constantly upon the mount, taking a view of the 
land of Canaan, what dreams and shadows would all things 
here below appear to be ? Well, by the grace of God, I 
am resolved no longer to tie myself to sense and sight, the 
sordid and trifling affairs of this life, but always to walk 
as one of the other world, to behave myself in all places, 
and at all times, as one already possessed of my inheritance, 



RESOLUTIONS. 105 

and an inhabitant of the New Jerusalem : by faith assur- 
ing myself I have but a few more days to live below, a 
little more work to do : and then I shall lay aside my glass, 
and be admitted to a nearer vision and fruition of God, 
and see him face to face. 

By this means, I shall always live, as if I was daily to 
die ; always speak, as if my tongue, the next moment, 
were to cleave to the roof of my mouth : and continually 
order my thoughts and affections in such a manner, as if 
my soul were just ready to depart, and take its flight into 
the other world. By this means, whatsoever place I am 
in, or whatsoever work I am about I shall stilrbe with my 
God, and demean myself so, as if, with St. Jerome, I 
heard the voice of the trumpet crying out, Awake ye dead, 
and come to judgment. 

And thus, though I am at present here in the flesh, yet 
I shall look upon myself as more really an inhabitant of 
heaven, than I am upon earth. Here I am but o&aPilgriffi, 
or a Sojourner, that has no abiding city ; but there 1 have a 
sure and everlasting inheritance, which Christ has pur- 
chased and prepared for me, and which faith has given 
me the possession of. And, therefore, as it is my duty., 
so I will constantly make it my endeavour, to live up to 
the chai'acter of a true christian, whose portion and con- 
versation is in heaven, and think it a disgrace and dispa- 
ragement to my profession, to stoop to, or entangle myself 
with such toys and trifles, as the men of the world busy 
themselves about ; or to feed upon husks with swine here 
below, when it is in my power, by faith, to be continual- 
ly supplied with spiritual manna from heaven, till at last I 
am admitted to it. And that I may awe my spirit into the 
performance of these, and all other my resolutions, 

RESOLUTION III. 

J am resolved, by the grace of God, always to be looking upon 
God, as always looking upon me. 

T^HERESOEVER I am, or whatsoever I am doing, 
* » must still consider the eye of the great God, as di- 
rectly intent upon me, viewing and observing all my 
thoughts, words, and actions, and writing them down in 
the book of his remembrance, and that all these, unless 
they be washed out with the tears of repentance, and 
crossed with the blood of my crucified Saviour, must still 

E 4 



104 RESOLUTIONS. 

remain on record, and be brought in judgment against me 
at the great day. That therefore, I may always behave 
myself as in his presence, it behoves me thoroughly to con- 
sider., and be persuaded, not only that my outward man, 
but even also, the secret thoughts, the inward motions 
and retirements of my soul, all the several windings and 
turnings of my heart, are exactly known and manifest, as 
anatomized before him. He knows what I am now think- 
ing, doing, and writing, as well as I do myself; yea, he 
sees every word whilst it is in my heart, before it be 
brought forth and set down. He knows all the resolu- 
tions I have made, and how often, poor creature ! I have 
broken them already, since I made them. 

Upon this consideration, I resolve to stand my ground 
against all temptations, and whenever I find myself in 
danger to be drawn aside by them, to oppose the bent of 
my corrupt affections, by these or the like questions : Am 
I really in the presence of the Almighty, the great Lord 
of heaven and earth, and shall I presume to affront him to 
his face, by doing such things as 1 know are odious and 
displeasing to him ! I would not commit adultery in the 
presence of my fellow-creatures, and shall I do it in the 
presence of the glorious Jehovah? I would not steal in the 
sight of an earthly judge, and shall I do it before the judge 
of all the world : if fear and shame from men have such an 
influence upon me, as to deter me from the commission of 
sin, how ought I to be moved with the apprehensions of 
God's inspection, who does not only know my transgres- 
sions, but will eternally punish me for them ? 

May these thoughts and considerations always take plac« 
in my heart, and be accompanied with such happy effects 
in my conversation, that I may live with God upon earth, 
and so love and fear his presence in this world, that I may 
for ever enjoy his glory in the next ? 



CONCERNING MY THOUGHTS. 

BUT who am I, poor, proud, sinful dust and ashes, 
that I should expect to live so holy, so heavenly, as is 
here supposed ! Can grapes be gathered from thorns, or Jigs 
from thistles ? Can the fruit be sweet, when the root is 
bitter ? Or the streams healthful, when the fountain is 
poisoned ? No, I must either get me a new and better 



RESOLUTIONS. 105 

heart, or else it will be impossible for me ever to lead a 
new and better life. But how must I come by this pearl 
of inestimable value, a new heart? Can I purchase it with 
my own riches ? or find it in my own field ? Can I raise it 
from sin to holiness ? from earth to heaven ? or from my- 
self to God ? Alas ! I have endeavoured it, but I find by 
woeful experience, I cannot attain to it : I have been lift- 
ing and heaving again and again, to raise it out of the mire 
and clay of sin and corruption ; but alas ! it will not stir : 
I have rubbed and chaffed it with one threatening after 
another, and all to get heat and life into it ; but still it is 
as cold and dead as ever : I have brought it to the pro- 
mises, and set it under the dropping of the sanctuary ; I 
have shewn it the beauty of Christ, and the deformity of 
sin ; but yet it is a hard and sinful, an earthly and sensual 
heart still. What, therefore, shall I do with it ? O my 
God, I bring it unto thee ! thou that madest it a heart at 
first, can only make it a new heart now ! O do thou puri- 
fy and refine it, and renew a right spirit within me I Do 
thou take it into thy hands, and out of thine infinite good- 
ness, new mould it up, by thine own grace, into an exact 
conformity to thy own will ? Do thou but give me a new 
heart, and I shall promise thee, by thy grace, to lead a 
new life, and become a new creature ! Do thou but clear 
the fountain, and I shall endeavour to look to the streams 
that flow from it, which that I may be able to do with the 
better success, 

RESOLUTION I. 

J am resolved, by the grace of God, to watch as muck over 
ike inward motions of my heart, as the outward actions of 
my life, 

FOR, my heart, I perceive is the womb, in which ail 
sin is first conceived, and from which, my Saviour tells 
me, proceed evil thoughts, adidteries, fornications, murders, 
thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil 
eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness, Mark vii. 21, 22. So 
that, as ever I would prevent the commission of these sina 
in my life, I must endeavour to hinder their conception in 
my heart, following the wise man's counsel, to keep my heart 
with all diligence, because out of it are the issues of life, Prov, 
iv. 25. Neither is this the only reason, why 1 should set 
E 5 



106 RESOLUTION*. 

so strict a watch over my heart, because sinful thoughts 
lead to sinful acts ; but because the thoughts themse! 
are sinful, yea, the very first-born of iniquity ; Which 
though men cannot pry into or discover, yet the all-seeing 
God knows and observes, and remembers them, as well as 
the greatest actions of all my life. And oh ! what wicked 
and profane thoughts have I formerly entertained, not only 
against God, but against Christ, by questioning the jus- 
tice of his laws, and doubting of the truth of his revela- 
tion, so as to make both his life and death of none effect to 
me ! which that they may never be laid to my charge 
hereafter, I humbly beseech God to pardon and absolve 
me from them, and to give me grace for the remainder of 
my life, to be as careful of thinking, as of doing well, 
and as fearful of offending him in my heart, as of trans- 
gressing his laws in my life and conversation. To this 
end, 

RESOLUTION II. 

/ am resolved, by the grace of God, to stop every thought, at . 
Us Jlrsi entering into my heart, and to examine it whence 
it comes, and whither it tends. 

SO soon as ever any new thought begins to bubble in my 
soul, I am resolved to examine what stamp it is of, 
whether it springs from the pure fountain of living wa- 
ters, or the polluted streams of my own affections ; as 
also, which way it tends, or takes its course, towards the 
ocean of happiness, or pit of destruction. And the reason 
of this my resolution, I draw from the experience I have 
had of the devil's temptations, and the working of my own 
* corruptions ; by which I find that there is no sin I am be- 
trayed into, but what takes its rise from my inward J 
thoughts. These are the tempters that first present some 
pleasing object to my view, and then bias my under- 
standing, and prevent my will, to comply with the sug- 
gestion. So that, though the Spirit of God is pleased to 
dart a beam into my heart at the same time, and shew me 
the odious and dangerous effects of such thoughts ; } T et I 
know not how or why, I find a prevailing suggestion 
within, that tells me, it is but a thought, and that so Jong 
as it goes no farther, it cannot do me much hurt. Under 
this specious colour and pretence, I secretly persuade my- 
self to dwell a little longer upon it ; and finding my heart 



RESOLUTIONS. 10? 

pleased and delighted with its natural issue, I give it a lit* 
tie farther indulgence, till at last my desire breaks out 
into a flame, and will be satisfied with nothing less than 
the enjoyment of the object it is exercised upon. And 
what water can quench such a raging fire, as is thus kind- 
led by the devil, and blown up by the bellows of my own 
inordinate affections, which the more I think of, the more 
I increase the flame ? How nearly therefore does it con- 
cern me to take up this resolution, of setting a constant 
watch and guard at the door of my heart, that nothing may 
enter in, without a strict examination ? Not as if I could 
examine every particular thought that arises in my heart, 
for by that means I could do nothing else but examine my 
thoughts without intermission. But this I must do : when- 
soever I find any thought that bears the face or appear- 
ance of sin, I must throw it aside with the utmost abhor- 
rence ; and when it comes in disguise, as the devil under 
Samuel's mantle, or when it is a thought I never conceiv- 
ed before, and know not but it may be bad, as well as 
good ; then, before I suffer it to settle upon my spirits, I 
must examine as well as I can, whether it be sent from hea- 
ven or hell, and what message it comes about, and what 
will be the issue of it. And thus, by the divine assist- 
ance, I shall let nothing into my heart, but what will bring 
me nearer to my God, and set me at a greater distance 
from the evil and punishment of sin. Neither do I think 
it my duty only to be so watchful against such thoughts as 
are in themselves sinful ; but, 

RESOLUTION III. 

I am resolved, by tKe grace of God, to be asfearfid to let in 
vain, as careful to keep out sinful, thoughts, 

I DO not look upon vain thoughts as only tending to sin, 
but as in themselves sinful ; for that which makes sin 
to be sin, is the want of conformity to the will of God ; and 
that vain thoughts are not conformable and agreeable to 
the divine will, appears, in that God himself, by the mouth 
of his royal prophet, expressly saith, / hate vain thoughts, 
Psal. cxiXi 118. Again, vain thoughts are 1 therefore sin- 
ful, because they have in them nothing that can denomi- 
nate them good : for, as in a moral sense, there is never a 
particular individual act, so neither is there any particular 
thought, but what is either good or bad, in some respect 

E 6 



10$ RESOLUTIONS. 

or other. There is not a moment of my life, but it is m^ 1 
duty either to be thinking, or speaking, or doing good ; 
so that whensoever I am not thus employed, I come short 
of my duty, and by consequence, am guilty of sin. 

But what are these vain thoughts, I am thus resolving 
against ? Why all wanderings and distraction in prayer, 
or hearing the word of God ; all useless, trifling, and im- 
pertinent thoughts, that do not belong to, nor further the 
work I am about, the grand affair of my salvation ; may 
properly be called vain thoughts. And alas ! what swarms 
of these are continually crowding into my heart ? How 
have I thought away whole hours together, about I know 
not what chimeras, whereof one scarce ever depends upon 
another: sometimes entertaining myself with the pleasure 
of sense, as eating and drinking, and such like earthly en- 
joyments ; sometimes building castles in the air, and 
climbing up to the pinnacle of wealth and honour, which 
I am not half way got up to, but down I fall again into a 
fooFs paradise ? 

Or, if I chance, at any time, to think a good while upon 
one thing, it is just to as much purpose as the man's 
thoughts were, which I have sometimes heard of, and 
smiled at, who having an egg in his hand, by a sort of 
chimerical climax, improved it into an estate ; but while 
he was thus pleasing himself with these imaginary pro- 
ducts, down drops the egg, and all his hens, and cattle, 
and house, and lands, that he had raised from it, vanished 
in the fall. These, and such like, are vain thoughts, that 
I must, for the future, endeavour to avoid ; and though it 
will be impossible for me wholly to prevent their first en- 
tering into my mind, yet I resolve, by the grace of God, 
not to harbour or dwell upon, or delight myself with them. 
And then notwithstanding they are, in some sense, sinful, 
yet they will not be imputed to me as such, provided I 
use my utmost endeavours to avoid them. Which that I 
may be the better able to do, 

RESOLUTION IV. 

J am resolved, by the grace of God, to be always exercising 
my tlwughts upon good objects, that the devil may not cr- 
ercise them upon bad, 

THE soul being a spiritual substance, is always in ac- 
tion, and it« proper and immediate act is thinking, 



RESOLUTIONS, 109 

which is as natural and proper to the soul, as extension is 
to the body : it is that upon which all the other actings of 
the soul are grounded ; so that neither our apprehensions 
of, nor affections to, any object can be acted without it. 
And hence it is, that I think the soul is very properly de- 
fined, Substantia cogitans, a thinking substance ; for there 
is nothing else but a spirit can think, and there is no spi- 
rit but always doth think. And this I find by experience 
to be so true and certain, that if at any time I have endea- 
voured to think of nothing (as I have oftentimes done) I 
have spent all the time ill thinking upon that very thought. 

How much, therefore, doth it concern me to keep my 
soul in continual exercise upon what is good ; for be sure, 
if I do not set it on work, the devil will ; and if it do not 
work for God, it will work for him ; I know sinful ob- 
jects are more agreeable to a sinful soul ; but I am sure, 
holy thoughts are more conformable to a holy God. Why, 
therefore, should I spend and revel out my thoughts upon 
that which will destroy my soul ? No, no ; I shall hence- 
forth endeavour always to be employing my thoughts upon 
something that is good : and, therefore, to have good sub- 
jects constantly at hand to think upon, as the attributes of 
God, the glory of heaven, the misery of hell, the merits 
of Christ, the corruption of my nature, the sinfulness of 
sin, the beauty of holiness, the vanity of the world, the 
immortality of the soul, and the like ; and likewise to take 
occasion from the objects I meet or converse with in the 
world, to make such remarks and reflections, as may be 
for my advantage or improvement in my spiritual affairs. 
For, there is nothing in the world, though it be never so 
bad, but that I may exercise good thoughts upon : and 
my neglect in this kind has been the real occasion of all 
those vain thoughts that have hitherto possessed my soul. 
I have not kept them close to their work, to think upon 
what is good, and therefore, they have run out into those 
extravagancies, which, by the blessing of God in the per- 
formance of these resolutions, I shall endeavour to avoid. 

It is, indeed, a singular advantage of that high and 
heavenly calling, in which the Most High, of his wis- 
dom and goodness, has been pleased to place me, that 
all the objects we converse with, and all the subjects 
we exercise our thoughts upon, are either God and hea- 
ven, or something relating to them. So that we need 
not go out of our common road to meet with this hea- 
venly company, good thoughts. But then, I do not ac* 



110 RESOLUTIONS. 

count every thought of God, or heaven, which only swims 
in my brain, to be a good and holy thought, unless it 
sinks down into my heart and affections, i. e. unless to my 
meditations of God, and another world, I join a longing 
for him, a rejoicing in him, and a solacing myself in the 
hopes of a future enjoyment of him. Neither will this be 
any hinderance, but a furtherance to my studies ; for, as 
I know no divine truths as I ought, unless I know them 
practically and experimentally ; so I never think I have 
any clear apprehensions of God, till I rind my affections 
are inflamed towards him ; or that ever I understand any 
divine truth aright, till my heart be brought into subjec- 
tion to it. 

This resolution, therefore, extends itself, not only to 
the subject matter of my thoughts, but also to the quality 
of them, with regard to practice, that they may influence 
my life and conversation, that whether I speak, or write, 
or eat, or drink, or whatsoever I do, I may still season all, 
even my commonest actions, with heavenly meditations ; 
there being nothing I can set my hand to, but I may like- 
wise set my heart a working upon it. Which accordingly 
I shall endeavour, by the blessing of God, to do. And, 
for the better ordering of my thoughts, 

RESOLUTION V. 

I am resolved, by the grace of God, so to marshal my thoughts, 
that they may notjustle one another, ?wr any of them pre- 
judice the business I am about. 

MY soul being by nature swift and nimble, and by cor- 
ruption inordinate and irregular in its operations, I 
can never set myself to think upon one thing, but present- 
ly another presses in, and another after that, and so on, 
till by thinking of so many things at once, I can think 
upon nothing to any purpose. And hence it is, that I 
throw away thousands of thoughts each day for nothing, 
which, if well managed, might prove very profitable and 
advantageous to me. To prevent, therefore, this tumul- 
tuous, desultory, and useless working of my thoughts, as 
1 have already resolved to fix my heart upon necessary, 
and useful and good objects, so to prevent my thoughts 
rolling from one thing to another, or leaping from the top 
of one t the height of another object, I must now endeavour 
to rank and digest them into order and method, that they 



RESOLUTIONS. Ill 

may for the future be more steady and regular in their 
pursuits. I know the devil and my own corrupt nature 
will labour to break the ranks, and confound the order of 
them ; what stratagem, therefore, shall I use to prevent 
this confusion ? I shall endeavour, by the grace of God, 
whensoever I find any idle thoughts begin to frisk and 
rove out of the way, to call them in again, and set them 
to work upon one or other of those objects before mention- 
ed, and to keep them, for some time, fixed and intent 
upon it ; and, considering the relations and dependencies 
of one thing upon another, not to suffer any foreign ideas 
such, I mean, as are impertinent to the chain of thoughts 
I am upon, to justle them out, or divert my mind another 
way. No, not though they be otherwise good thoughts ; 
for thoughts in themselves good, when they crowd in un- 
seasonably, are sometimes attended with very ill effects, by 
interrupting and preventing some good purposes and reso- 
lutions, which might prove more effectual for promoting 
God's glory, the good of others, and the comfort of our 
own souls. 

These, and such like, are the methods by which I de- 
sign and resolve to regulate my thoughts : and, since I can 
do nothing without the divine assistance, I earnestly beg 
of God to give me such a measure of his grace, as may en- 
able me effectually to put these resolutions in practice, that 
I may not think and resolve in vain. 



CONCERNING MY AFFECTIONS. 

BUT whilst I am thus ranging my thoughts, I find some- 
thing of a passion or inclination within me, either 
drawing me to, or driving me from, every thing I think 
on ; so that I cannot so much as think upon a thought, but 
it is either pleasing or displeasing to me, according to the 
agreeableness or disagreeableness of the object it is placed 
upon, or to my natural affections. If it comes under the 
pleasing dress and appearance of good, I readily choose 
and embrace it ; if otherwise, I am as eagerly bent to re- 
fuse and reject it. And these two acts of the will are na- 
turally founded in those two reigning passions of the soul, 
love and hatred, which I cannot but look upon as the 
grounds of all its other motions and affections. For what 
are those other passions of desire, hope, joy, and the like, 



112 RESOLUTIONS 

but love in its several postures ? and what else can we 
conceive of fear, grief, abhorrence, &c. but so many dif- 
ferent expressions of hatred, according to the several cir- 
cumstances that the displeasing object appears to be under. 
Doth my understanding represent any thing to my will, 
under the notion of good and pleasant ? My will is pre- 
sently taken and delighted with it, and so places its love 
upon it ; and this love, if the object be present, inclines 
me to embrace it with joy ; if absent, it puts forth itself 
into desire, if easy to be attained, it comforts itself with 
hope ; if difficult, it arms itself with courage ; if impossi- 
ble, it boils up into anger ; if obstructed, it presently falls 
down into despair. 

On the other hand, doth my understanding represent 
any object to my will, as evil, painful, or deformed ? How 
doth it immediately shrink and gather up itself into a 
loathing and hatred of it ! and this hatred, if the ungrate- 
ful object be present, put on the mournful sables of grief 
and sorrow : if it be at any distance from it, it boils up 
into detestation and abhorrence ; if ready to fall upon it, it 
shakes for fear"; if difficult to be prevented, it strengthens 
itself with courage and magnanimity, either to conquer or 
undergo it. These affections, therefore, being thus the 
constant attendants of my thoughts, it behoves me as 
much to look to those, as to the other, especially, when I 
consider, that not only my thoughts, but even my actions 
too, are generally determined to good or bad, accordingly 
as they are influenced by them. That my affections, there* 
fore as well as my thoughts, may be duly regulated, 

RESOLUTION I. 

J am resolved, by the grace of God, always to make my af- 
fections subservient to the dictates of my understandings 
that my reason may not follow, but guide my affections. 

THE affections, being of themselves blind and inordi* 
nate, unless they are directed by reason and judg- 
ment, they either move towards a wrong object, or pur- 
sue the right a wrong way. And this judgment must be 
mature and deliberate, such as arises from a clear appre- 
hension of the nature of the object that affects me, and a 
thorough consideration ot the several circumstances that 
attend it. And great care must be taken, that 1 do not im- 
poses upon myseif by fancy and imagination, that I do not 
mistake fancy for judgment, or the capricious humours of 



RESOLUTIONS. 11* 

my roving imagination, for the solid dictates of a well-guid- 
ed reason. For, my fancy is as wild as my affections : and, 
if the blind lead the blind, then will both fall into the ditch. 

And alas ! how oft am I deceived in this manner ! If I 
do but fancy a thing good and lovely, how eager are my 
affections in the pursuit of it ? If I do but fancy any thing 
evil and hurtful to me, how doth my heart presently rise 
up against it, or grieve or sorrow for it ? and this, [ be- 
lieve hath been the occasion of all the enormities and ex- 
travagancies I have been guilty of, through the whole 
course of my past life, divesting me of my reasonable fa- 
culties, as to the acts and exercises of them, and subject- 
ing my soul to the powers of sense, that I could not raise 
my affections above them. Thus, for instance, I have 
not loved grace, because my fancy could not see its beau- 
ty ; I have not loathed sin, because my fancy could not 
comprehend its misery ; and I have not truly desired hea- 
ven, because my fancy could not reach its glory : where- 
as, if the transient beauty and lustre of this world's vani- 
ties was but presented to my view, how has my fancy 
mounted up to the highest pitch of pleasure and ambition, 
and inflamed my heart with the desire of them ? 

And thus, poor wretch, have I been carried about with 
the powerful charms of sense, without having any other 
guide of my affections, but what is common to the very 
brutes that perish : fancy supplying that place in the sen- 
sitive, which reason does in the rational, soul. And, alas! 
what is this, but, with Nebuchadnezzar, to leave com- 
munion with men, and herd myself with the flocks of the 
beasts of the field? And what a shame and reproach is this 
to the image of God, in which I was created ? 

Oh ! Thou, that art the author of my nature, help me, 
I beseech thee, to act more conformably to it, for the time 
to come ; that I may no longer be bewildered or misled by 
the blind conduct of my straggling fancy ; this ignis fatuus, 
that hurries me over bogs and precipices to the pit of de- 
struction, but that I may bring all my affections and ac- 
tions to the standard of a sound and clear judgment ; and 
let that judgment be guided by the unerring light of thy 
divine word : that so I may neither love, desire, fear, nor 
detest any thing, but what my judgment, thus formed, 
tells me 1 ought to do. 

I know it will be very hard thus to subdue my affections 
to the dictates and commands of my judgment: but how- 
soever, it is my resolution, this morning, in the presence 



1M« RESOLUTIONS. 

of almighty God, to endeavour it, and never to suffer my 
heart to settle its affections upon any object, till my 
judgment hatli passed its sentence upon it. And, as 
I will not suffer my affections to run before my judg- 
ment ; so whenever that is determined, I steadfastly re- 
solved" to follow it : that so, my apprehensions and affec- 
tions always going together, I may be sure to walk in the 
direct path of God's commandments, and enter the gde 
that leads to everlasting life. And, the better to facilitate 
the performance of this general resolution, it being neces- 
sary to descend to particulars ; 

RESOLUTION II. 

I am resolved, by the grace of God, to love God, as the best 
of goods, and to hate sin, as the worst of evils, 

AS God is the centre of our concupiscible affections, so 
sin is the object of those we call irascible ; and the af- 
fections of love and hatred being the ground of all the rest, 
I must have a great care that I do not mistake or miscarry 
in them : for if these be placed upon wrong objects, it is 
impossible any of the rest should be placed upon right 
ones. In order, therefore, to prevent such a miscarriage, 
as God is the greatest good, and sin the greatest evil, I re- 
solve to love God above all things else hi the world, and 
to hate sin to the same degree ; and so to love other things, 
only in relation to God, and to hate nothing but in refe- 
rence to sin. 

As for the first, the loving God above all things, there 
is nothing seems more reasonable, inasmuch as there is no- 
thing lovely in any creature, but what it receives from 
God ; and by how much the more it is like to God, by so 
much the more it is lovely unto us. Hence it is that beau- 
ty, or an exact symmetry and proportion of parts and co- 
lours, so attracts our love, because it so much resembles 
God, who is beauty and perfection itself. And hence it is 
likewise, that grace is the most lovely tiling in the world, 
next to God, as being the image of God himself stamped 
upon the soul ; nay, it is not only the image and represen- 
tation, but it is the influence and communication of him- 
self to us ; so that the more we have of grace, we may 
safely say, so much the more we have of God within us. 
Why, therefore, should I grudge my love to him, who 
only deserves it ? who is not only infinitely lovely in him- 
self, but the author and perfection of all loveliness in hfs 



RESOLUTIONS. 115 

creatures? why, the true reason is, that my affections 
have run a gadding without my judgment, or else my 
judgment hath been baulked or anticipated by my fancy ; 
whereas, now, that my apprehensions of God are a little 
cleared up, and my j tidgment leads the way, though no- 
body sees me, yet methinks I cannot but blush at myself, 
that I should ever lie doating upon these dreams and sha- 
dows here below, and not fix my affections upon the infi- 
nite beauty and all- sufficiency of God above, who deserves 
my love and admiration so infinitely beyond them. How- 
ever, therefore, I have heretofore placed my affections 
upon other things above God, I am now resolved to love 
God, not only above many, or most things, but above all 
things else in the world. 

And here, by loving God, I do not understand that sen- 
sitive affection I place upon material objects ; for it is im- 
possible, that that should be fixed upon God, who is a 
pure spiritual being ; but that, as by the deliberate choice 
of my will I take him for my chiefest good, so I ought to 
prefer him as such, before my nearest and dearest posses- 
sions, interests, or relations, and whatsoever else may at 
any time stand in competition with him. 

And thus, as I shall endeavour to love God, so likewise 
to hate sin, above all things ; and this is as necessary as 
the former ; for all things have something of good in them, 
as they are made by God ; but sin being, in its own na- 
ture, a privation of good, and directly opposite to the na- 
ture and will of God (as I have before shewed) it has no- 
thing of beauty or amiableness to recommend it to my af- 
fections. On the contrary, it is a compound of deformity 
and defilement, that is always attended with punishment 
and misery : and must, therefore, be the object of my ha- 
tred and abhorrence, wheresoever I find it. For, as God 
is the centre of all that is good, so is sin the fountain of 
all the evil in the world. All the strife and contention, ig- 
nominy and disgrace, misfortunes and afflictions that I ob- 
serve in the world ; all the diseases of my body, and in- 
firmities of my mind; all the errors of my understanding, 
and irregularities of my will and affections • in a word, all 
the evils whatsoever, that I am affected with, or subject 
to, in this world, are still the fruits and effects of sin : for 
if man had never offended the chiefest good, he had never 
been subject to tins train of evils which attended his trans- 
gression. Whensoever, therefore, I find myself begin to 
detest and abhor any evil, I shall, for the future, endea- 
vour to turn my eyes to the spring-head, and loath and 



116 RESOLUTIONS. 

detest the fountain that sends forth all those bitter and un- 
whole some streams, as well as the channels of those corrupt 
hearts in which they flow. And for this reason I resolve 
to hate sin wheresoever I find it, whether in myself or in 
others, in the best of friends, as well as the worst of ene- 
mies. Love, I know, and charity, covers a multitude of 
sins, and where we love the man, we are all of us but too 
apt to overlook, or excuse his faults. For the prevention 
of this, therefore, I firmly resolve, in all my expressions 
of love to my fellow- creatures, so to love the person, as 
yet to hate his sins ; and so to hate his sins, as yet to love 
his person. The last of which I hope, I shall not find 
hard to practise, my nature, by the blessing of God, be- 
ing not easily inclined to hate any man's person whatso- 
ever ; and the former w T ill not be much more difficult, 
when I consider, that by how much more I love my 
friend, by so much more should I hate whatsoever will 
be offensive or destructive to him. 

Having thus fixed my resolutions with regard to those 
two commanding passions of my soul, love and hatred ; 

RESOLUTION III. 

/ am resolved, by the assistance of divine grace, to maize God 
the principal object of my joy, and sin the principal object 
of my grief and sorrow ; so as to grieve for sin more than 
suffering, and for suffering onlyjor sins sake, 

HP HE affections of joy and grief are the immediate is- 
-*- sues of love and hatred, and, therefore, not at all to 
be separated in their object. Having, therefore, resolved 
to love, I cannot but resolve likewise to rejoice in God 
above all things ; for the same measure of love I have to- 
wards any thing, the same measure of complacency and 
delight I must necessarily have in the enjoyment of it. As, 
therefore, I love God above all things, and other things 
only in subserviency to him, so much I rejoice in God 
above all things, and in other things only as coming from 
him. I know, I not only may, but must rejoice, in the 
mercies and blessings that God confers upon me ; but it is 
still my duty to rejoice more in what God is in himself, 
than in what he is pleased to communicate to me : so that 
I am not only bound to rejoice in God, when I have no- 
thing else, but when I have all things else to rejoice in. 
Let therefore my riches, honours, or my friends fail me : 
let my pleasure, my health and hope, and all fail me ; 
I am still resolved, by his grace, to rejoice w the Lord, 



RESOLUTIONS. 117 

and to joy in the God of my salvation. On the other hand, 
let honour or riches be multiplied upon me ; let joy and 
pleasure, and all that a carnal heart (like mine) can wish 
tor or desire, be thrown upon me ; yet am I still resolv- 
ed, that as it is my business to serve God, so shall it be my 
delight and comfort to rejoice in him. 

And, as God shall be my chiefest joy, so shall sin be my 
greatest grief; for I account no condition miserable, but 
that which results from, or leads me into sin ; so that 
when any thing befals me, which may bear the face of suf- 
fering, and fill my heart with sorrow, I shall still endea- 
vour to keep off the smart till I know from whence it 
comes. If sin has kindled the fire of God's wrath against 
me, and brought these judgments upon me, Oh ! what a 
heavy load shall I then feel upon my soul ? and how shall 
I groan and complain under the burden of it : but if there 
be nothing of the poison of sin dropt into this cup of sor- 
rows, though it may perhaps prove bitter to my senses, 
yet it will in the end prove healthful to my soul, as being 
not kindled at the furnace of God's wrath, but at the 
flames of his love and affection for me. So that I am so 
far from having cause to be sorry for the sufferings he 
brings upon me, that I have much greater cause to re- 
joice in them, as being an argument of the love and affec- 
tion he bears tome; For whom the Lord loveth, he chasten* 
etk, and scourgeth every son whom he receivetk, Heb. xii. 6. 

And having thus resolved to rejoice in nothing but 
God, and grieve for nothing but sin, I must not be cast 
down and dejected at every providence which the men 
here below account a loss or affliction ; for, certainly, all 
the misery I find in any thing extrinsical, is created by 
myself ; nothing but what is in me being properly an af- 
fliction to me ; so that it is my fancy that is the ground of 
misery in all things without myself. If I did not fancy 
some evil or misery in the loss of such an enjoyment, it 
would be no misery at all to me, because I am still the 
same as I was, arid have still as much as I had before. 
For it is God that is the portion of my soul ; and, there- 
fore, should I lose every thing I have in the world be- 
sides, yet having God, I cannot be said to lose any thing, 
because I have Him that hath, and is, all things in him- 
self. Whensoever, therefore, any thing befals me, that 
uses to be matter of sorrow and dejection to me, I must 
not presently be affected with or dejected at it, but still 
behave myself like an heir of heaven, and living above the 



118 RESOLUTIONS. 

smiles and frowns of this world, account nothing matter 
of joy, but so far as I enjoy of God's love ; nor any thing 
matter of sorrow, but so much as I see of his anger in it. 

RESOLUTION IV. 

1 am resolved , by the grace of God, to desire spiritual mer- 
cies more than temporal ; and temporal mercies only in re- 
ference to spiritual. 

HAVING rectified the balance of my judgment accord- 
ing to the scripture ; when I would begin to weigh 
temporal things with spiritual, I find there is no propor- 
tion, and so no comparison to be made betwixt them. 
And will any wise man, then, that pretends to reason, be 
at a stand which of these to choose, which to esteem the 
best, or desire most ? Alas ! what is there in the world, 
that can fill the vast desires of my soul, but only he, who 
is infinitely above me and my desires too ? Will riches do 
it? No, I may as soon undertake to fill my barns with 
grace, as my heart with gold, and as easily stuff my bags 
with virtue, as ever satisfy my desires with wealth. Do I 
hunt after pleasures ? These may, indeed, charm and de- 
light my brutish senses, but can never be agreeable or pro- 
portionate to my spiritual faculties. Do 1 grasp at honour 
and popularity ? These, again, are as empty and unsatis- 
fying as the former ; they may make me look high and 
great in the eye of the world, turn my head giddy with 
applause, or puff up my heart with pride, but they can 
never fill up the measure of its desires. And thus, if I 
should have the whole world at command, and could, with 
Alexander, wield both sword and sceptre over all the na- 
tions and languages of it, would this content me ? or ra- 
ther, should 1 not sit down, and weep with him, that I 
had not another world to conquer and possess ? Whereas, 
God being an infinite good, it is impossible for me to de- 
sire any thing, which I may not enjoy in him and his mer- 
cies : let me, or any other creature, extend our desires 
never so far, still the graces and blessings of this infinite 
God will be infinitely beyond them all : insomuch that 
though ten thousand worlds are not able to satisfy one 
soul, yet one God is able to satisfy ten thousand souls ; 
yea, and ten millions more to them, as well as if there 
was only one soul in all the world to satisfy. 

Come, therefore, my dear Lord and Saviour ! whilst 



RESOLUTIONS. 1 1JJ 

thy servant is breathing after thee ; and possess my heart 
With the spiritual blessings of grace and faith, peace and 
charity ; and let none of these empty and transient de- 
lights of this world stand in competition with them ! Thou 
art the source and centre of all my wishes and desires ; 
even as the hart panteth after the water-brook ; so panteth 
my soul after thee, O God ! When shall I appear in thy pre- 
sence ? When, when shall that blessed time come, that I 
shall see thy sacred majesty face to face ? This is a mercy, 
I confess, which I cannot expect, whilst imprisoned in the 
body ; but, howsoever, though I must not yet appear be- 
fore thee, do thou vouchsafe to appear in me, and give me 
such glimpses of thy love and graces here, as may be an 
earnest of the bliss and glory I am to enjoy hereafter. 

RESOLUTION V. 

/ am resolved, by the grace of God, to hope for nothi?ig so 
much as the promises, and to fear nothing so much as the 
threatenings, of God. 

MY soul being inflamed with holy desires after God, my 
heart cannot but be big with the hopes and expecta- 
tions of him : and, truly, as there is nothing that I can 
absolutely desire, so neither is there any thing that I can 
assuredly hope for and depend upon but God himself, and 
the promises he has made to me in his divine word. For, 
as all things derive their being and subsistence from him, 
so they are all at his beck and command, and are acted and 
influenced as his wisdom and pleasure sees fit to order 
them. All the secondary causes are in his hand, and he 
turns them which way soever he will ; so that, however 
improbable and disproportionate the means he uses may 
appear to be, he never fails to accomplish the end, or 
whatever he wills or decrees to be done. And, therefore, 
wherever I meet with any promises made over to the faith- 
ful in his sacred word (since they are the promises of one 
who is infinitely just and true, who can neither dissemble 
nor deceive) I cannot in the least doubt but they will be 
punctually fulfilled ; and if I am of that happy number (as 
I trust through the merits of Christ, and my own sincere 
endeavours, I shall approve myself to be) I have as much 
assurance of being partaker of them, as if I had them ac- 
tually in possession, or as any of the faithful servants of 
God, who have already experienced ;'>mplishment 

of them. 



120 RESOLUTIONS* 

But suppose God should not favour me with the bright 
part of his promises, but, instead of the blessings of health 
and prosperity, should visit me with crosses and afflic- 
tions ; yet I have still the same grounds for my hope and 
confidence in him, and may say, with the Psalmist, The 
Lord is my helper, I will not fear what the devil or man can 
do unto me. For, though their spite and malice may some- 
times cross, torment, afflict, and persecute me ; yet, since 
I am assured, they are only as instruments in the hand of 
God, that cannot go beyond their commission, nor make 
me suffer more than I am able to bear, I may comfort my- 
self, under all these afflictions, by the same divine pro- 
mise that St. Paul had recourse to, on the like occasion, to 
wit, That all shall work together for good, to them that love 
God, who are called according to his purpose, Rom. viii. 28. 
The devil could not touch the possessions of Job, till he 
had received a commission from God ; nor could he come 
near his body till that commission was renewed ; and so, 
neither can he, nor any creature whatsoever, throw any 
evil upon me, without the divine permission ; and even 
that, though it seems to be evil, shall really, in the end, 
turn to my benefit and advantage. Oh ! what a sovereign 
antidote is this against all despondency and despair, even 
under the deepest and severest trials ? Permit me, O my 
God, to apply this sacred promise to myself, and say, I 
am assured of it by my own experience. For I can hard- 
ly remember any one thing that ever happened to me, in 
the whole course of my life, even to the crossing of my 
most earnest desires, and highest expectations, but what I 
must confess, to the praise of thy grace and goodness, has 
really, in the end, turned to my advantage another way : 
Oh ! make me truly sensible of all thy promises to, and 
dealings with me, that whatever storms and surges may 
arise, in the tempestuous ocean of this transient world, I 
may still fix the anchor of my hope and happiness in thee, 
who art the source and spring of all blessings, and with- 
out whom no evil or calamity could ever befall me ! 

And as the promises of God, upon all these accounts, 
are to be the object of my hope ; so are his threatenings 
to be of my fear and aversion ; as the former are of excel- 
lent use to raise and revive the most drooping hearts, so 
the latter are of weight enough to sink and depress the 
stoutest and most undaunted spirits, and make them lick 
up the dust of horror and despair. Not to mention any 
thing of the exquisite and eternal miseries denounced 
4 



RESOLUTIONS. 121 

against the wicked in the next world, with which the 
scriptures every where abound, there is one punishment 
threatened to be inflicted here, which is, of itself, suffici- 
ent to do this ; and that is, in Mai. ii. 2. If ye will not 
hear, and if ye will not lay it to heart, to give glory to my 
name, saith the Jjord of hosts, I will even send a curse upon 
you, and curse your blessings. Most dreadful sentence ! 
which none, that consider aright, can be able to read with- 
out trembling and astonishment. Alas ! if God should 
curse me, where should I seek for blessing, since He is 
the only fountain from which it flows, and by which it is 
conveyed and communicated to me ? And if he should 
curse my very blessings, what could I hope for but mise- 
ry and despair ? my health, my wealth, my preferments^ 
my relations, nay, my very life itself, would all be ac- 
cursed to me ; and, what is yet worse, even my spiritual 
exercises and performances, upon which I chiefly build my 
hopes of happiness, my preaching, praying, and commu- 
nicating, would all become a snare and a . curse to me : 
yea, and Christ himself, who came into the world to bless 
and redeem me, if I walk not in his fear, believe not Ins 
gospel, or give not glory to his name, will himself be a 
curse and condemnation to me. So that I may say of 
every thing I have, or enjoy, or expect, All these God 
has made curses to me, because I have not blessed and 
glorified him in them. Oh ! who would not tremble and 
be wrought upon by these threatenings ? who would not 
fear thee, O King of nations, who art thus terrible in thy 
judgments ; who would not love and obey thee, who art 
so gracious in thy promises ? Teach me, I beseech thee, 
so to place my fear upon the former, that I may still fix 
my hope upon the latter, that though I fear thy dreadful 
curses, yet I may never despair of thy tender mercies ! 

RESOLUTION VI. 

I am resolved, by the grace of God, to arm myself with that 
spiritual courage and magnanimity, as to press through 
all duties and difficulties whatsoever, for the advancement 
of God's glory, and my own happiness. 

CHRISTIANITY is well termed a warfare, for a war- 
fare it is, wherein no danger can be prevented, no 
enemy conquered, no victory obtained, without much 
courage and resolution. I have not only many outward 

F 



122 RESOLUTIONS. 

enemies to grapple with, bat I have myself, my worst 
enemy, to encounter and subdue. As for those enemies 
which are not near me, by the assistance of God's spirit, 
I can make pretty good shift to keep them at the sword's 
point : but this enemy, that is gotten within me, has so 
often foiled and disarmed me, that I have reason to say, 
as David did of his enemies, It is too strong for me ; and, 
as he said of the chief of his, / shall one day fall by the 
hands of Saul : so I have too much occasion to say, I 
shall fall by myself, as being myself the greatest enemy 
to my own spiritual interest and concerns. How neces- 
sary is it, then, that I should raise and muster up all 
my force and courage, put on my spiritual armour, and 
make myself strong in the Lord, and in the power of his 
might ? I know I must strive, before I can enter in at the 
strait gate ; I must win the crown, before I can wear 
it, and be a member of the church militant, before I can 
be admitted into the church triumphant. In a word, I 
must go through a solitary wilderness, and conquer many 
enemies, before I come to the land of Canaan ; or else f 
must never be possessed of it. What then ? Shall I lose my 
glory, to balk my duty ? Shall I let go my glorious and 
eternal possession, to save myself from a seeming hard- 
ship, which the devil would persuade me to be a trouble 
and affliction ? Alas ! if Christ had laid aside the great 
work of my redemption, to avoid the undergoing of God's 
anger and man's malice, what a miserable condition had I 
been in ? And, therefore, whatever taunts and reproaches 
I meet with from the presumptuous and profane, the infi- 
del and atheistical reprobates of the age ; let them laugh 
at my profession, or mock at what they are pleased to call 
preciseness ; let them defraud me of my just rights, or 
traduce and bereave me of my good name and reputation ; 
let them vent the utmost of their poisonous malice and 
envy against me ; I have this comfortable reflection still 
to support me, that if I suffer all this for Christ's sake, it 
is in the cause of one who suffered a thousand times more 
for mine; and, therefore, it ought to be matter of joy and 
triumph, rather than of grief and dejection to me; especi- 
ally considering that these my light afflictions, which arc but 
for a moment, will ivork out for me ajar more exceeding and 
eternal freight of glory. Upon the prospect of which, I 
firmly resolve, notwithstanding the growing strength of 
sin, and the overbearing prevalcncy of my own corrupt 
affections, to undertake all duties, and undergo all mise- 



RESOLUTIONS. l$$ 

ries, that God in his infinite wisdom, thinks fit to lay upon 
me, or exercise my patience in. 

RESOLUTION VII. 

lam resolved, by the grace of God, so to be angry, as not to 
sin ; and, therefore, to be angry at nothing but sin. 

HP HE former part of the resolution is founded in the ex- 
-**- press command of St. Paul, Be ye angry, and sin not, 
Eph. iv. 26. And the latter is an explication of, as well as 
an inference drawn from it. For, if anger be, not only 
lawful, but a duty, as is here supposed, when it does not 
involve us in sin ; the only difficulty is, to know how that 
passion ought to be qualified, to justify the. exercise of it 
without being guilty of sin : and the circumstances or qua- 
lifications required for this, are first, That it be placed 
upon a due object ; and, secondly, That it do not exceed 
its proper bounds. 

Now, as nothing can deserve my anger, but what is 
disagreeable to my nature, and offensive to the author of 
it, so nothing but sin can properly be called its object. 
The chief thing that I am to aim at in my actions, isT the 
honouring, serving and pleasing of God; and how can I 
serve and please God in being angry at any thing but 
what I know is displeasing to him ? I may be scorned, 
reproached, and vilified among my equals, or accused, 
condemned, and punished by my superiors; and these 
are treatments that are but too apt to raise and transport 
men into anger and revenge : but then, before I suffer 
this passion to boil up in me, I ought to consider whether 
I have not behaved myself so as to deserve this sort of 
treatment; if I have, then there is no injury or injustice 
done me thereby, and, therefore, I ought not to be angry 
at it : if I have not, I must not be angry at the persons 
who act thus falsely and unjustly against me, but only 
at then* sin ; for, to speak properly, it is not the per- 
son that offends me, but the sin. And this, not because it 
is injurious to me, but because it is offensive and displeas- 
ing to God himself: for to be angry at any thing but 
what displeases God, is to displease God in being angry. 
Whenever, therefore, I receive any affronts or provoca- 
tions of this nature, lam resolved, by God's grace assist- 
ing my endeavours, never to be moved or troubled at 
them, farther than they are in their own nature sinful, 

F 2 



124 RESOLUTIONS. 

and at the same time abstracting the sin from the persons- 
to pray for the pardon of those that are guilty of it ; and 
not only so, but, according to the command and example 
of my Saviour, even to love them too. 

But, how shall I be sure to be angry at nothing but sin, 
and so not to sin in my anger, when every petty trifle or 
cross accident is so apt to raise this passion in me ? Why, 
the best method I can take, is, that which the wise man 
directs me to, not be hasty in my spirit, Eccl. vii. 9- hut to 
defer my danger according to discretion, Prov. xix. 11. So 
that, whensoever any thing happens, that may incense 
and inflame my passion, I must immediately stop its ca- 
reer, and suspend the acts of it, till I have duly consider- 
ed the motives and occasions that raised it. And as this 
will be a very good means to regulate the object of my an- 
ger, so likewise the measure of it : for, he that is slow to 
wrath, takes time to consider, and, by consequence, puts 
his passion under the conduct of his reason ; and, whoever 
does so, it will never suffer it to be transported beyond its 
proper bounds : whereas he whose anger is like tinder, that 
catches as soon as the spark is upon it, and who uses no 
means to stop its spreading, is presently blown up into a 
furious flame, which, before it is extinguished, may do 
more mischief than he is ever able to repair ; for, no man 
knows whither his anger may hurry him, when once it 
has got the mastery of him. In order, therefore, to pre- 
vent the fatal consequences of this passion, I now resolve 
never to speak or do any thing, while I am under the in- 
fluence of it, but take time to consider with myself, and 
reflect upon the several circumstances of the action or ob- 
ject it arises from, as well as the occasion and tendency of 
it ; and, as oft as I find any thing in it displeasing to God, 
to be regularly angry at that, to correct, rebuke, and reprove 
it, with a zeal and fervour of spirit, suitable to the occasion ; 
but, still to keep within the bounds of the truly christian 
temper, which is always distinguished by love and charity, 
and exercises itself in meekness and moderation. And, 
Oh ! what a sedate and contented spirit will this resolution 
breed in me ! How easy and quiet shall I be under all cir- 
cumstances ? Whilst others are peevish and fretful, and 
torment themselves with every petty trifle that does but 
cross their inclinations, or seem to be injurious to them ; 
or fall into the other extreme, of a stoical apathy or insen- 
sibility ; I shall, by this resolution, maintain a medium be- 
twixt both, and possess ?ny soul in peace and patience. 



RESOLUTIONS. 125 

CONCERNING MY WORDS. 

HAVING thus far cleansed the fountain of my heart, 
with regard to my thoughts and affections, which 
are the immediate issues of my active soul, the next thing 
incumbent upon me, is to regulate my outward conversa-* 
tion, both with respect to my words and actions. As to 
the first, the holy scripture assures me, that the tongue is 
a world of iniquity, James iii. 6. And again, that it is an 
unruly evil, which no man can tame, ver. 8. But is it, in* 
deed, so unruly ? Then there is the more occasion to have 
it governed and subdued ; and, since that is not to be done 
by man alone, it is still more necessary, that I should call 
in the assistance of that divine Spirit that gives this cha- 
racter of it, first to fix my resolutions, and then to strength- 
en me in the performance of them. I steadfastly purpose 
to imitate the royal Psalmist in this particular, and to take 
heed to my ways, that I off end not with my tongue, Psal. 
xxxix. 1. Yea, I am resolved, with holy Job, that all the 
while my breath, and the Spirit of God, is in my nostiils, my 
lips shall not speak wickedness, nor my tongue utter deceit, Job 
xxvii. 8, 4. But, since it is such an unruly instrument, so 
very difficult to be bridled or restrained, do thou, O God, 
who first madest it, enable me to get the mastery of it ! 
Set a watch, Lord, before my mouth, and keep the door of 
my lips, that, with St. Paul, / may speak forth the wards 
of truth and soberness, and make this unruly ^vil a happy 
instrument of much good ! Which that I may do, 

RESOLUTION I. 

lam resolved, by the grace of God, never to speak much, 
lest I often speak too much, and not to speak at all, rather 
than to no purpose, 

j~T is the voice of fools that is known by the multitude of 
-*■ words, Eccl. v. 3. In which there are diverse vanities, 
ver. 6. and sin too, Prov. x. 19. whereas he that refraineth 
his lips is wise. This is that piece of christian wisdom, 
which I am now resolving to look after ; and therefore ne- 
ver to deliver my words out to the world by number, but 
by weight, not by quantity, but quality : not hiding any 
meaning under ambiguous terms and expressions, but fit- 
ting words exactly to express my meaning ; not amusing 

F S 



12(» RESOLUTIONS. 

those I converse with, with circles of impertinence and 
circumlocution, but coming directly to the matter by the 
straight line of apt expressions, so as never to speak more 
than the matter requireth ; nor to speak at all, when no 
matter requireth. For, why should I spend my breath 
for nothing ? Alas ! that is not all ; if I spend it ill, it will 
be far worse, than spending it for nothing ; for, our bless- 
ed Saviour has told me that I must answer for every idle 
and unprofitable as well as profane word, Matt. xii. 36. 
But now, if the vain word, if all the vain words I ever 
spoke should be written, as I have cause to believe they 
are, in the book of God's remembrance, how many vast 
volumes must they make ! and if an index should be made, 
where to find profitable, and where idle words, how few 
references would there be to the former ? what multitudes 
to the latter ? and (what is yet more terrifying) if all these 
words should be brought in judgment against me at the 
last day, how would those very words then make me 
speechless ? and what shame and confusion of face would 
they then strike me with ? But I trust, through the blood 
of my Redeemer, and the tears' of my repentance, they 
will be all washed and blotted out, before I come to ap- 
pear before him. In order to this, as I heartily bewail 
and detest my former follies in" this respect ; so I firmly 
purpose and resolve to use my utmost endeavours for the 
time to come, not to give way any more to such idle words 
and expressions, as are likely to be thus prejudicial to my 
eternal interest ; but always to consider well beforehand, 
what, and how, and why I speak, and suffer no corrupt 
communication to proceed out of my mouth, but thai which 
is good, to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace to 
the hearers, Eph. iv. 2Q. 

I know there are some words, that are purely jocose, 
spoken with no other intent but only to promote mirth, 
and divert melancholy ; and these words, so long as they 
are harmless and innocent, so long as they do not reflect 
dishonour upon God, nor injure the character and repu- 
tation of my neighbour, are very lawful and allowable ; 
inasmuch as they conduce to the refreshing and reviving 
of my spirits, and the preservation of my health. But 
then, I must always take care so to wind and turn my dis- 
course, that what recreates me in speaking, may pro- 
fit others when spoke ; that my words may not only be 
such as have no malignity in them, but such as may be 
useful and beneficial ; not only such as do no hurt, but 



RESOLUTIONS. 127 

likewise such as may do much good to others as well as 
myself. To this end, I firmly resolve, by the grace of 
God, never to speak only for the sake of speaking, but to 
weigh each word before I speak it, and to consider the 
consequence and tendency of it, whether it may be really 
the occasion of good or evil, or tend to the edifying or 
scandalizing of the person I speak it to. 

RESOLUTION II. 

/ am resolved, by the grace of God, not only to avoid the wick* 
edness of swearing falsely, but likewise the very appear" 
ance of swearing at all. 

PERJURY is a sin condemned by the very laws of na- 
ture ; insomuch that I should w T rong my natural fa- 
culties, should I give way to, or be guilty of it. For the 
same nature that tells me, the person of God is to be adored, 
tells me likewise his name is to be reverenced ; and what 
more horrid impiety can possibly be imagined, than to 
prostitute the most sacred name of the most high God, to 
confirm the lies of sinful men ? I know swearing in a just 
matter, and right manner, may be as lawful under the 
New, as under the Old Testament ; for thus I find St. 
Paul saying, As God is true, c 2 Cor. i. 18. and ver. 23. I 
call God for a record upon my soul, wherein is contained 
the very nature of an oath, which is the calling God for a 
record and a witness to the truth of what we speak ; but 
when it is to maintain falsehood, which is to an ill pur- 
pose, or lightly and vain, which is to no purpose at all, 
it is a sin of the highest aggravation, that ought, with the 
greatest detestation and abhorrence, to be shunned and 
avoided. God saith, by Moses, Lev. xix. 12. Thou shall 
not swear by my name falsely, neither shall thou profane the 
name of thy God: I am the Lo?'d. And Exod. xx. 7. Deut. 
v. 1 1 . Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in 
vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his 
name in vain. But farther, God says, by Christ, Swear 
not at all, neither by heaven, for it is God's throne ; nor by 
the earth, for it is his footstool, &c. So that not only, by- 
God, and by Jesus, are oaths, but swearing by any of 
God's creatures, is, in a manner, to swear by God him- 
self : I swear by the heavens ; can the heavens hear, or 
witness what I say ? No ; it is the glorious Majesty that 
lilies there, that I call upon to witness the truth of the 

F 4 



J 23 fcESOLUTIOXS. 

words I speak, and the sinfulness of my heart for swear- 
ing to them. Do I swear by my faith ? But how is that ? 
Can faith testify what I say ? No, it is only lie that wrought 
this faith in my heart, can witness the truth of my words. 
And if I swear by the gifts of God, I do in effect swear by 
God himself ; otherwise, I ascribe that to the creature, 
which is only compatible to the glorious Creator, even the 
knowledge of the thoughts of my heart, how secret soever 
they be. 

But, again, there is more in the third commandment 
than the devil would persuade the world there is : for, 
w r hen God commands me not to take his name in vain, it is 
more than if he had commanded me not only to swear by 
it : for, I cannot persuade myself, but that every time I 
speak of God, when I do not think of him, 1 take his 
name in vain : and, therefore, I ought to endeavour to 
avoid even the mentioning of God, as well as swearing by 
him, unless upon urgent occasions, and with reverence 
and respect becoming his Majesty ; for, questionless, 
Lord, and O God, may be spoken as vainly, as, By Lord, 
and By God : and, therefore, I ought never to speak such 
words, without thinking really in my heart, what I speak 
openly with my mouth, lest my name be written amongst 
those that take the name of God in vain. But farther still, 
I am resolved not only to avoid downright swearing, but 
likewise the very appearance of it : so that what doth but 
look like an oath, shall be as odious to me, as what looks 
like nothing else. 

RESOLUTION III. 

/ am resolved, by the grace of God, always to make my 
tongue and heart go together, so as never io speak with the 
one, what I do not think in the other. 

AS my happiness consistethin nearness and- vicinity, so 
doth my holiness in likeness and conformity to the 
chiefest good, I am so much the better, as I am the liker 
the best; and so much the holier, as I am more conforma- 
ble to the holiest, or rather to him who is holiness itself. 
Now, one great title which the most High is pleased to 
give himself, and by which he is pleased to reveal himself 
to us, is the God of truth : so that I shall be so much the 
liker to the God of truth, by how much 1 am the more con- 



g 



RESOLUTIONS. 129 

Slant to the truth of God. And, the farther I deviate from 
this, the nearer I approach to the nature of the devil, who 
is the father of lies, and liars too, John viii. 44. And hence 
it is, that of all the sins the men of fashion are guilty o£ 
they can least endure to be charged with lying. To give 
a man the lie, or to say, You lie, is looked upon as the 
greatest affront that can be put upon them. And why so? 
But only because this sin of lying makes them so like their 
father the devil, that a man had almost as well call them 
devils, as liars ; and therefore to avoid the scandal and re- 
proach, as well as the dangerous malignity of this damna- 
ble sin, I am resolved, by the blessing of God, always to 
tune my tongue in unison to my heart, so as never to speak 
any thing, but what I think really to be true. So that, if 
ever I speak what is not true, it shall not be the error of 
my will, but of my understanding. 

I know lies are commonly distinguished into officious, 
pernicious, and jocose : and some may fancy some of them 
more tolerable than others. But, for my own part, I 
think they are all pernicious, and therefore, not to be jest- 
ed withal, nor indulged, upon any pretence or colour 
whatsoever. Not as if it was a sin, not to speak exactly as 
a thing is in itself, or as it seems to me in its literal mean- 
ing, without some liberty granted to rhetorical tropes and 
figures ; (for, so the scripture itself would be chargeable 
with lies ; many things being contained in it, which are 
not true in a literal sense:) but, I must so use rhetorical, 
as not to abuse my Christian liberty ; and, therefore, never 
to make use of hyperboles, ironies, or other tropes and 
figures, to deceive or impose upon my auditors, but only 
for the better adorning, illustrating, or confirming the 
matter. 

But, there is another sort of lies most men are apt to 
fall into, and they are promissory lies ; to avoid which, I 
am resolved never to promise any thing with my mouth, 
but what I intend to perform in my heart ; and never to 
intend to. perform any thing, but what I am sure I can per- 
form. For, this is the cause and occasion of most promis- 
sory lies, that we promise that absolutely, which we should 
promise only conditionally. For, though I may intend 
to do as I say now, yet there are a thousand weighty 
things may intervene, which may turn the balance of my 
intentions, or otherwise hinder the performance of my 
promise. So that, unless I be absolutely sure I can do a 
thing, I must never absolutely promise to do it ; and, 

F 5 



130 RESOLUTIONS. 

therefore, in all such promises, shall still put in God will- 
ing, or by the help of God, at the same time lifting up 
my heart to God, lest I take his name in vain. 

RESOLUTION IV. 

lam resolved ', by the grace of God, to speak of other men 's 
sins only before their faces, and of their virtues only behind 
their backs. 

^T^O commend men when they are present, I esteem al- 
-*- most as great a piece of folly as to reprove them when 
they are absent ; though I do confess, in some cases, and 
to some persons, it may be commendable ; especially when 
the person is not apt to be puffed up, but spurred on by 
it. But to rail at others, when they hear me not, is the 
highest piece of folly imaginable ; for, as it is impossible 
they should get any good, so is it impossible but that I 
should get much hurt by it. For, such sort of words, 
make the very best we can of them, are but idle and un- 
profitable, and may not only prove injurious to the person 
of whom, but even to w T hom they are spoken, by wound- 
ing the credit of the former, and the charity of the latter ; 
and so, by consequence, my own soul ; nay, even though 
I speak that which is true in itself, and known to be so to 
me : and, therefore, this way of backbiting ought by all 
means to be avoided. 

But, I must, much more, have a care of raising false 
reports concerning any one, or of giving credit to them 
that raise them, or of passing my judgment, till I have 
weighed the matter ; lest I transgress the rules of mercy 
and charity, which command me not to censure any one 
upon other's rumours, or my own surmises ; nay, if the 
thing be in "itself true, still to interpret it in the best sense. 
But, if 1 must needs be raking in other men's sores, it must 
not be behind their backs, but before their faces ; for, the 
one is a great sin, and the other may be as great a duty, 
even to reprove my neighbour for doing any thing offen- 
sive unto God, or destructive to his own soul ; still endea- 
vouring so to manage the reproof, as to make his sin loath- 
some to him, and prevail upon him, if possible, to forsake 
it : but there is a great deal of Christian prudence and dis- 
ion to be used in this, lest others may justly reprove 
me for ray indiscreet reproof of others, I must still fit my 
reproof to the time when, the person to whom, and the 



RESOLUTIONS. 131 

sin against which it is designed ; still contriving with my- 
self how to carry on this duty so, as that by converting a 
sinner from ike evil of his ways, I may save a soul from death, 
and cover a multitude of sins, James v. 20. Not venting 
my anger against the person, but my sorrow for the sin 
that is reproved. Hot, passionate, and reviling words, 
will not so much exasperate a man against his sin that is 
reproved, as against the person that doth reprove it. It is 
not the wrath of man that worlieth the righteousness of God, 
James i. 10. But this, of all duties, must be performed 
with the spirit of love and meekness ; I must first insinu- 
ate myself into his affections, and then press his sin upon 
his conscience, and that directly or indirectly, as the per- 
son, matter, or occasion shall require ; that so he that is 
reproved by me now, may have cause to bless God for me 
to all eternity. 

RESOLUTION V. 

/ am resolved, by the grace of God, always to speak reve- 
rently to my superiors, humbly to my inferiors, and civilly 
to all 

THE most high God, the master of this great family, 
the world, for the more orderly government of it, 
hath, according to his infinite wisdom, set some in higher, 
some in lower places, hath made some as stewards, others 
as under servants ; and according to every man's work 
that he expects from him, he measures out his talents to 
him. Blessed be his name for it, he hath set me in a mid- 
dle form, giving me Agar's wish, subject neither to envy 
on one hand, nor pity on the other ; so that I have both 
superiors to reverence, and inferiors to condescend to. 
And accordingly, it is my duty so to behave myself to- 
wards them, that the reverent expressions of my mouth 
may manifest the obedient subjection of my heart to the ' 
power and authority God has given them over me. It is 
the express command of the gospel, that we should ren- 
der to every man his due, Fear to whom fear, honour to 
whom lionour belongeth, Rom. xiii. 1 3. which words plain- 
ly imply, both that it is some men's due to receive honour, 
and other men's duty to give it. And accordingly, we find 
Paul, when he was brought before Festus, doth not say, 
Art thou he, whom they call Festus c 4 or thou Festus, as the 
misgiuded^enthusiasts, in our days, would have said ; but, 

F 6 



132 RESOLUTIONS. 

Most voble Feslus, Acts xxvi. 25. In like manner St. John 
doth not call her he writes to, in hib second epistle, being 
a person of quality, Woman, but, Elect lady. And this 
sort of reverence is farther confirmed to us, not only by 
the constant custom of all nations in all ages of the world, 
but it is likewise highly agreeable to the rules of right 
reason, as well as the order of government. For, as there 
is both a natural and civil superiority, a superiority in 
gifts and age, and a superiority likewise in office and sta- 
tion ; so there is nothing can be more necessary, than that 
there should be, in both these respects, a reverence and 
respect paid to the persons of men, answerable to these 
distinctions. And therefore I cannot but condemn that 
rude and unmannerly behaviour of some of our schismatics 
towards their superiors, as factious and unreasonable, as 
well as repugnant to the dictates of the divine Spirit, which 
the prophets and apostles were inspired and influenced by. 
And, as there is a reverence due from inferiors to supe- 
riors in point of conversation, so likewise are there some 
decent regards and civilities to be shewed even by superi- 
ors to their inferiors, who are always treated with candour 
and condescension, in their ordinary capacities ; and even 
when they are considered as criminals, with meekness and 
moderation. Insomuch that methinks, it is one of the 
w r orst sights in the world, to see some men that are gotten 
upon a little higher ground than their neighbours are, to 
look proudly and scornfully down upon all that are be- 
low them, disdaining to vouchsafe them the least favour or 
respect whatsoever. Such churlish, haughty, and foul- 
mouthed Nabals as these, are not only very unjust, and 
unreasonable in their behaviour to others, but they are 
certainly the greatest enemies to themselves, that they 
have in all the world besides ; not only by drawing upon 
them the hatred and enmity of all that are about them, but 
likewise by tormenting themselves with such frivolous 
things, as such spirits commonly do. Wherefore, that I 
may please Gi>d, my neighbour, and myself, in what I 
speak, though I could exceed other men (which is impossi- 
ble for me to suppose) in every thing ; I resolve, by God's 
grace, always to behave myself so, as if 1 excelled them 
in nothing : and not only to speak reverently to then) that 
are above me, but humbly and civilly to those that are be- 
neath me too. I will always endeavour to use such hum- 
ble and winning words, as to manifest more of my love to 
them than my power over them : I will always season my 



RESOLUTIONS. 135 

tongue with savoury, not bitter expressions, not making 
my mouth a vent for my fury and passion to fume out at, 
but rather an instrument to draw others' love and affection 
in by ; still speaking as civilly unto others, as I would 
have them speak civilly to me. 



CONCERNING MY ACTIONS. 

THE other way of my soul's putting forth, and shew- 
ing herself to the world, is by her actions, which it 
concerns me as much to look to and regulate, as my words; 
forasmuch as there is not the least ill circumstance in any 
action, but what, unless it be repented of, must be brought 
into question, and answered for at the last day : for, though 
an action cannot be denominated good, unless it be good 
in all circumstances and respects ; yet it is always deno- 
minated bad, if it is bad only in one. As it is in music, if 
but one string jar, or be out of tune, the whole harmony 
is spoiled ; so here, if but one circumstance in an action 
be wanting or defective, the whole action is thereby ren- 
dered immoral. 

How much, therefore, doth it behove me to keep a 
strict watch over myself, and so to perform every action, 
and place every circumstance in it, that it may have its ap- 
probation in the court of heaven? Well, I am resolved, by 
the grace of God, to try what I can do. I know it is im- 
possible for me to resolve upon particular actions : but 
howsoever I shall resolve upon such general rules, the ap- 
plication of which to particular acts may make them pleas- 
ing and acceptable in the sight of God ; always premising 
this which I have resolved upon before, as the best foun- 
dation, viz. to square all my actions by the scripture rule, l 
and to do nothing but what I have some way or other, a 
warrant from the word of God. Upon this fixed and stea- 
dy principle, 

RESOLUTION I. 

/ am resolved, by the grace of God, to do every thing in 
obedience to the will of God. 

IT is not sufficient, that what I do is the will of God, 
but I must therefore do it because it is the will of God. 
For, what saith my Father, My son, give me thine heart, 



{3i RESOLUTIONS. 

and let thine eyes observe my ways, Prow xxiii. 26. feothat 
my Father will not only have my hand, but my heart too. 
And my feet must not walk in the ways of God, till my 
eyes have observed and discerned them to be so. I may 
do an action that is in itself good ; and yet, at the same 
time, not do a good action, if I do not therefore do it, be- 
cause it is so : for example, I may give an alms to the 
poor, feed the hungry, or clothe the naked ; but let me 
examine and consider well, upon what principle these ac- 
tions are founded, whether I therefore do them, because 
God hath commanded them ; if not, my feeding the poor 
will be no more a good action, than the ravens feeding the 
prophet was, 1 Kings xvii. 6. Their feeding of the pro- 
phet was commanded by God, as well as my feeding of 
the poor, but I cannot say, they did a good action, be- 
cause though they did do this, which was commanded by 
God, yet being irrational creatures, they could not reflect 
upon that command, and so could not do this in obedience 
to it. 

There are some persons, to the very frame and dispo- 
sitions of whose spirits some sins are, in their nature, odi- 
ous and abominable. Thus I have known some whose 
very constitutions have carried them into an antipathy to 
lust and luxury ; and others again, who could never en- 
dure to drink beyond their thirst, much less to unman and 
be-beast themselves, by drinking to excess. And the like 
may be observed of covetousness which Luther was such 
an enemy to, that it is said to be against his very nature. 
Now, I say, though the abstaining from these sins be high- 
ly commendable in all sorts of persons, yet, unless, toge- 
ther with the streams of their natural disposition, there run 
likewise a spiritual desire to please God, and obey Ills com- 
mands, their abstaining from these vices, is no more than 
the brute beasts themselves do, who always act according 
to the temper of their bodies, and are never guilty of any 
excesses that are prejudicial to them. 

Hence servants are commanded to be obedient to their 
masters, with good will doing service as to the Lord, and not 
to men, Eph. vi. 5, 6, 7- whiclj clearly shews, that though 
a servant doth obey his master, yet if he doth not do it in 
obedience to God, he will not find acceptance with him. 
So that, whensoever I set my hand to any actum that is 
good, I must still fix my eye upon God's commanding of 
it, and do it only in respect to that ; as knowing, that if I 
give but a farthing to the poor, in all my life, and do it in 



RESOLUTIONS. 135 

obedience to God's commands, it shall be accepted sooner 
than theirs, who feed hundreds at their table every day, 
and have not respect to the same command. 

Do I see a poor wretch ready to fall down to the earth 
for want of a little support, and my bowels begin to yearn 
towards him ? Let me search into my heart, and see what 
it is that raises this compassion in me. If it flows only 
from a natural tenderness to a brother in misery, without 
regard to the love of God, who has commanded and en- 
joined it, the poor man may be succoured and relieved, 
but God will not be pleased or delighted with it. Again, 
do my friends stir me up to pray or hear, or do any other 
spiritual or civil action, and I therefore only do it because 
of their importunity? I may satisfy my friends' desire, but 
cannot properly be said to obey the commands of God, in 
such a performance : so that the great and only foundation 
that I must resolve to build all the actions of my life upon, 
is an uniform obedience to that God, by whom alone I am 
enabled to perform them. 

RESOLUTION II. 

/ am resolved, by the grace of God, to do every thing with 
prudence and discretion, as well as with zeal and affection. 

TTTHILST I am penned up in this earthly tabernacle, 
* * I live almost as in a- darksome dungeon, having no 
light to work by, but a little that springs in at the narrow 
crevices of my understanding. So that I had need to 
make use of all that little light and knowledge I have, to 
regulate the heat and zeal that sometimes sit upon my spi- 
rit. For good passions may sometimes carry me into bad 
actions : my zeal, when hot in the pursuit of God's glory, 
may sometimes hurry me beyond his laws ; especially, 
when Christian prudence hath not first chalked out the 
way, and set the bounds for it : as, in discourse, my zeal 
may put me upon throwing pearls before swine, or using 
words, whence silence may be more commendable : so in 
my actions too, unless wisdom and discretion govern and 
command my affections, I shall frequently run into such 
as would be altogether needless and impertinent, and there- 
fore ought to be omitted ; and daily neglect several du- 
ties, which ought to be performed. 

But, my understanding and discretion is chiefly requi- 
site for the ordering of time and place, and other particu- 



13(5 RESOLUTIONS. 

lar circumstances, the irregular management of which may 
easily spoil the best of actions. For instance, that may be 
a good work at one time and place, which is not at ano- 
ther ; and may be very innocent and becoming in one per- 
son, though quite contrary in another. It is therefore the 
proper office of my understanding to point out the fittest 
time and place, and person, for the performance of each 
action I engage in. As for example, in distributing to 
the poor, my hand of charity must be either guided by 
the eye of understanding, where, when, how much, and 
to whom to give ; or else I may, at the same time, not 
only offend God, but wrong my neighbour and myself 
too. And so for all other actions whatsoever, which I 
ought therefore never to set myself about, though it be of 
the lowest rank, without consulting the rules of wisdom, 
modelled by the law of God. 

RESOLUTION III. 

/ am resolved, by the grace of God, never to set mxj hand, 
my head, or my heart, about any thing but what I verily 
believe is good in itself, and will be esteemed so by God, 

WITHOUT faith, the apostle tells me, it is imjiossible 
to please God, Heb. xi. 5. For whatsoever is not of 
faith, is sin, Rom. xiv. 23. Where, by faith, we are not 
to understand that saving faith, whereby I believe that my 
person is justified through Christ ; but that, whereby I 
believe that my works shall be accepted by God : for faith 
here is opposed to doubting ; and that, not about Christ's 
dying for me, or my living in him, but about the particu- 
lar actions of my life. He that doubteth, saith the apostle, 
is damned if he eats, that is, He that eateth that which he 
doubteth whether it may be lawfully eat or no, is damned, 
because he sins in doing it, and therefore may be damned 
for it. But why so? because he eateth not of faith ; be- 
cause he doth that which he knows not whether he may do 
or no, not believing it to be really good in itself, or accept- 
able unto God. And, though the apostle here instances 
only in that particular action of eating, yet what he says 
with relation to that, is properly applicable to all the other 
actions of life : for he afterwards subjoins, 11 hatsoevcr is 
not of faith, is sin : whatsoever it is, good or bad, if not 
done by faith, it is sin. 

And truly, this particular will be of great use through 



RESOLUTIONS. 137 

my whole life for the avoiding of many sins, and for the 
doing of much good : for, many things which are good in 
themselves, may, for want of faith, become quite other- 
wise to me ; my heart not believing what I do is good, 
my hand can never make it so. Or, if I think what I do 
is bad, though it be not so in itself, yet my very thinking 
it so, will make it so tome. 

And this is what we call doing a thing with a good con- 
science, or keeping, as St. Paul did, our conscience void of 
offence. And to go contrary to the dictates of my consci- 
ence in this particular, is to transgress the commands of 
God. For in this, conscience is as God*s vicegerent in my 
soul : what conscience commands, God commands ; what 
conscience forbids, God forbids ; that is, I am as really 
under the power of conscience, as the commands of God, 
in such a case. So that, if I do not obey the former, it is 
impossible for me to obey the latter. But how much then 
doth it behove me to see, that my conscience be rightly 
informed in every thing ? For as if a judge be misinform- 
ed, it is impossible he should pass righteous judgment ; 
so, if conscience be misinformed, it is impossible I should 
do a righteous act. And, what a miserable case shall I 
then be in ? If I do what is in itself sinful, though my con- 
science tells me it is good, yet I sin, because the act in it- 
self is sinful; and if I do what in itself is good, and my 
conscience tells me it is bad, because my conscience tells 
me it is bad, I sin because my conscience tells me it is so; 
so that as my conscience is, so will my actions be. 

For this reason, I resolve, in the presence of my great 
Creator, never to do any thing, till I have first informed 
my conscience from the word of God, whether it be lawful 
for me to do it, or no ; or in case it be not determined 
there, to make a strict search and inquiry into each cir- 
cumstance of it, considering with myself what good or evil 
may issue from it, and so what good or evil there is in it ; 
and according as my conscience, upon the hearing of the 
argument on both sides, shall decide the matter, I shall 
do, or not do it ; never undertaking any thing upon mere 
surmises, because it may be good, but upon a real and tho- 
rough persuasion that it is so. 



158 RESOLUTIONS. 

RESOLUTION IV. 

/ am resolved, by the grace of God, to do all things for the 
glory of God. 

A SI was not made by, so neither for myself; for God, 
-*■"*- says the wise man, made all things for himself^ Prov. 
xvi. 4. And being thus made for God, it follows of course, 
that I ought to act for God ; otherwise I shall frustrate the 
end of my creation. Insomuch that whatsoever I make 
my chief aim in what I do, I make that my God : Do I 
aim at the glory of the all-glorious Jehovah ? it is him I 
make my God : Do I aim at riches ? then it is mammon I 
make my God : and therefore it is that covetousness is call- 
ed idolatry, Col. iii. 5. Do I aim at pleasure, it is my 
senses I make my God, Phil. iii. 19. Do I aim at popu- 
lar applause, or worldly advancement ? or, do I aim at 
my own health or life ? these are my gods. For what is 
worshipping, but making all the powers of my soul, and 
actions of my body, to bow and stoop to them ? Hence it 
is, that the most high God, who hath said, He will not 
give his glory to another, hath been so express in command- 
ing me to do all things to his glory, Whether ye eat or drink, 
says the apostle, or whatsoever you do, do all thi?igs to the 
glory of God, 1 Cor. x. 31. 

But how can I, poor worm, be said to do any thing to 
the glory of the eternal God ? Why, in the same manner 
as he is said to do what he doth for his own glory ; and 
how is that ? By manifesting his glory to others. Thus, 
if I can but so live and act, as thereby to evidence, that 
the God I serve is a glorious God, glorious in holiness, glo- 
rious in goodness, glorious in wisdom, glorious in power, 
and the like ; this is doing all things to the glory of God. 
For example, by praying to God, I avouch him to be a 
God infinite in knowledge, that he is present with me, 
and hears me pray, wheresoever I am ; and I own him to 
be infinite in mercy, in that he will suffer such a sinful 
creature as I am to address myself to him, &e. And so 
there is not the least action I undertake, but I am so to 
manage it, as to manifest the glory of God by it, making- 
it my end and design so to do ; otherwise let me do what 
I will I am sure to sin ; for though I confess, a good end 
can never make a bad action good, yet a bad end will al- 
ways make a good action bad : so that, as ever I would do 
any thing that is good, I must be sure to do it to the glory 
of God. 



RESOLUTIONS. 139 

RESOLUTION V. 

/ am resolved, by the grace of God, to mingle such recrea- 
tions with my business, as to further my business by my 
recreations, 

TXAVING wholly devoted myself to God, all I have, 
-■-A or am ^ i s s tiH to be improved for him ; insomuch that 
was it not for the necessities of nature, every moment of 
my life should and ought to be spent in the immediate wor- 
ship and service of him. Rut though nature requires some 
time from my solemn serving him, for the recreating of 
myself; yet grace requireth, that this recreating of myself 
should still be for the promoting his service ; so that my 
recreations do not only fit me for farther service, but they, 
in themselves, should some way or other, be serviceable , 
to him ; which that they may be I must have as great a 
care in the choice, as in the use of my recreations. 

There are some recreations that are so far from conduc- 
ing to his service, that they may make more for the incens- 
ing of his wrath : as drinking and gaming, which though 
in themselves lawful, yet, as they often prove an occasion 
of swearing, lying, cheating, and contention amongst men, 
and, by consequence of wrath in God ; so they ought, by 
all means, to be shunned and avoided. Indeed, it may 
be questioned, whether gaming be ever a lawful recrea- 
tion ? For, either it is a lottery, or not. If it be a lottery, 
it is not lawful, because it is a great presumption and sin 
to set God at work to recreate ourselves ; for poor nothings 
to employ the chiefest good, immediately to determine 
such frivolous and trifling impertinencies. If it be not a 
lottery, then it is not a pure recreation, for if it depends 
upon man's wit and study, it exercises his brain and spi- 
rits, as much as if he were about other things : so that be- 
ing on one side not lawful, on the other side no recreation ; 
it can, on no side, be a lawful recreation. 

For, what is the end of recreation, but to revive my lan- 
guishing spirits, to let them rest and be quiet a little, when 
they are tired with too much exercise, that they be fresher, 
livelier, and fitter for work afterwards ? hence it is, that 
God indeed hath provided a recreation for all sensible 
creatures ; sleep, which is the rest of the spirits in the 
nerves. When the little animal spirits have been all the 
day running up and down upon the soul's errands, to lie 



110 RESOLUTIONS. 

clown still and quiet, is a great refreshment and revivement 
to them, provided still, that it be moderately used. Where- 
as the indulging ourselves too much in it, is rather a clog- 
ging and stupifying of them ; as we see in our bodies, 
which, when not accustomed to, are most averse from, 
and unfit for exercise. 

So that the chief and only time for recreation, is, w T hen my 
spirits are either weary with labour and study, or else call- 
ed in to some necessary employment in some other place ; 
as at and after meals, especially such as are of a hard di- 
gestion ; for then the spirits have enough to do, to turn 
the food we eat into good nourishment. And, therefore, 
the intenseness of study, running, wrestling, and such like 
violent exercises, are not proper at such a time ; because 
in studying, we draw the spirits from the stomach to the 
head ; so in the other exercises, such as moderate w r alking, 
conference, and free discourse about common but necessa- 
ry points, we send them from the stomach into other parts 
of the body, where they are to be set on work. 

But, that which I have found the best recreation, both 
to my body and mind, whensoever either of them stands 
in need of it, is music, which exercises, at once, both my 
body and my soul ; especially when I play myself. For 
then, methinks, the same motion that my hand makes 
upon the instrument, the instrument makes upon my heart; 
it calls in my spirits, composes my thoughts, delights my 
ear, recreates my mind, and so, not only fits me for after 
business, but fills my heart, at the present, w r ith pure and 
useful thoughts, so that w r hen the music sounds the sweet- 
liest in my ears, truth commonly flows the clearest into 
my mind. And hence it is, that I find my soul is become 
more harmonious, by being accustomed so much to har- 
mony, and so averse to all manner of discord, that the least 
jarring sounds, either in notes or words, seem very harsh 
and unpleasant to me. 

That there is something more than ordinary in music, 
appears from David's making use of it, for driving away 
the evil spirit from Saul, and Elisha for the bringing of the 
good spirit upon himself. From which I am induced to 
believe, that there is really a sort of secret and charming 
power in it, that naturally dispels, from the mind, all or 
most of those black humours, which the evil spirit uses to 
brood upon, and by composing it into a more regular, 
sweet, and docible disposition, renders it the fitter for the 
holy Spirit to work upon, the more susceptible of divine 



RESOLUTIONS. 141 

grace,, and more faithful messenger, whereby to convey 
truth to the understanding. But however that be, I must 
necessarily acknowledge, that of all recreations, that is by 
far the more suitable to my temper and disposition, in that 
it is not only an exercise to my body, but to my mind too ; 
my spirits being thereby made the more nimble and active, 
and, by consequence, the fitter to wait upon my soul, and 
be employed by her, in whatever business she is engaged. 
But in this and all other recreations, I must always take 
care not to exceed my measure, either in point of time or 
intention ; I must not follow them too close, nor spend 
too many hours in them, but still resolve to use theni, as 
they may not become a snare to me, but answer the ends 
for which they were designed, that when God shall call 
me to it, I may give him as good an account of my recrea- 
tions, as of my necessary duties. 



w-vw> ^.'v-v%-w w 



CONCERNING MY RELATIONS. 

BUT be not deceived, O my soul ; thou art not yet ad- 
vanced far enough ; it is not sufficient to pretend to 
holiness in my thoughts and affections, and in my words 
and actions ; unless I express it likewise in all the rela- 
tions and conditions of life. The commandments of God arc 
said to be exceeding broad : they extend themselves to eve- 
ry capacity 1 can possibly be in, not only enjoining me to 
live soberly in respect to myself, but righteously to my 
neighbour, obediently to my sovereign, lovingly to my 
wife, and faithfully to my people ; otherwise I cannot live 
holily unto God ; and, therefore, if I would be thoroughly 
religious, I must farther endeavour to fix my resolutions 
with regard to the several duties the most High expects 
from me, in all these particular relations I bear to him, 
during my sojoufhing here on earth. 

RESOLUTION I, 

/ am resolved, by the grace of God, to honour and obey the 
king, or prince, whom God is pleased to set over me, as 
well as to expect that he shoidd safeguard and protect me, 
whom God is pleased to set xinder him. 

HP HE King of kings, and Lord of lords, the great and 
-*- glorious monarch of all the world, having enacted 



142 RESOLUTIONS. 

many gracious laws, is pleased to set over every kingdom 
and nation such persons as may put them in execution. 
So that I cannot but look upon a lawful king, as truly a re- 
presentative of the most high God, as a parliament is of the 
people ; and am therefore persuaded, that whoever rebels 
against him, rebels against God himself; not only in that 
he rebels against the ordinance of God, and so, against 
the God of that ordinance, but because he rebels against 
him, whom God hath set up as his vicegerent, to repre- 
sent his person, and execute Ins laws in such a part of his 
dominions. 

Hence it is, that these two precepts, Fear God, and ho- 
nour the king, are so often joined together in holy writ ; 
for he that fears God's power cannot but honour his autho- 
rity ; and he that honours not the king, that represents 
God, cannot be said to fear God, who is represented by 
him. And hence, likewise, it is, that God has been as 
strict and express in enjoining us obedience to our govern- 
ors as to himself; for, thus saith the Lord of hosts, Rom. 
xiii. 1. Let every soul be subject to the higher powers. Why ? 
because there is no power but of God ; the powers that be, 
are ordained of God. 

And he hath denounced as great a judgment against 
such as rebel against the magistrate he hath ordained, as 
against those that rebel against himself ; For whosoever re- 
sisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God ; and then 
that resist, shall receive to themselves damnation, ver. 2. So 
that the wrath of God shall as certainly fall upon those 
that rise up against the king, as upon those that fight 
against God. And no wonder that the punishment should 
be the same, when the fault is the same : for he that rights 
against his king, fights against God himself, who hath in- 
vested him with that power and authority to govern his 
people, representing his own glorious majesty before them. 

Upon this ground it is, that I beliew the wickedness 
of a prince cannot be a sufficient plea for the disobedience 
of his subjects ; for it is not the hpliness, but the authori- 
ty of God that he represents, which the most wicked, as 
well as the most holy person, may be endowed with ; and 
therefore, when the gospel first began to spread itself over 
the earth, though there was no Christian king, or supreme 
magistrate, of what title soever, to cherish and protect it; 
nay, though the civil powers were then the greatest ene- 
mies to it ; yet, even then were the disciples of Christ en- 
joined to submit themselves to every ordinance of man, for 
the Lord's sake. 



RESOLUTIONS, 143 

Insomuch, that did I live among the Turks, I should 
look upon it as my duty to obey the Grand Seignior, in all 
his lawful edicts, as well as the most Christian and pious 
king in the world. For, suppose a prince be never so 
wicked, and never so negligent in his dut}^ of protecting 
me, it doth not follow, that I must neglect mine of obey- 
ing him. In such a case, I have another duty added to 
this : and that is to pray for him, and intercede with God 
for his conversion : for thus hath the King of kings com- 
manded, that -prayers, supplications, intercessions, and giv- 
ing of thanks, be made for oilmen, so more especially, for 
kings and those that are in authority, that we may live a quiet 
and peaceable life, in all godliness and honesty, 1 Tim. ii. 
1, 2. So that whensoever I address to the court of hea- 
ven, I must be sure to remember my sovereign upon earth, 
that God would be pleased to enable his servant to reign 
on earth as himself doth in heaven, in righteousness and 
mercy. But especially, in case of any seeming or real de- 
fault or defect, though I do not think it a subject's duty to 
judge or censure their sovereign's actions, I am to be the 
more earnest in my prayers and intercessions for him ; but, 
upon no account to fight or rebel against him. 

And, if I a#i thus strictly obliged to honour, obey, and 
pray for a bad prince, how much more should I pay those 
duties to one, who represents God, not only in his autho- 
rity, but in his holiness too ? In this case, sure, as there 
is a double engagement to reverence and obedience, so I 
am doubly punishable, if I neglect to shew it, either to 
the prince himself, or those that are set under him; for 
the same obligations that lie upon me, for my obedience 
to the king, bind me likewise to obey his inferior officers 
and magistrates, that act under him ; and that for this 
reason, because, as he represents God, so they repre- 
sent him ; and, therefore, whatever they command, in 
liis name, I look upon it as much my duty to obey, as if 
it was commanded by his own mouth ; and, accordingly, 
do, from this moment, by the grace of God, resolve ,to 
put this duty in practice. 

RESOLUTION II. 

/ amfesolved, by the same divine grace, to be as constant in 
loving of my wife, as cautious in choosing her. 

np HOUGH it be not necessary for me to resolve upon 
■*■ marrying, yet it may not be improper to resolve, in 
Case I should, to follow these rules of duty ; first in the 



144? RESOLUTIONS. 

choice of a wife ; and secondly, in the affection that I 
ought to bear towards her. 

As for the first, I shall always endeavour to make choice 
of such a woman for my spouse, who hath first made 
choice of Christ as a spouse for herself; that none may be 
made one flesh with me, who is not also made one spirit 
with Christ my Saviour. For I look upon the image of 
Christ as the best mark of beauty I can behold in her ; and 
the grace of God as the best portion I can receive with her. 
These are excellencies, which, though not visible to carnal 
eyes, are nevertheless agreeable to a spiritual heart ; and 
such as all wise and good men cannot choose but be ena- 
moured : with. For my own part, they seem to me such 
necessary qualifications, that my heart trembles at the 
thought of ever having a wife without them. What ! shall 
I marry one that is wedded already to her sins, or have 
possession of her body only, when the devil hath pos- 
session of her soul? shall such a one be united to me 
hei»e, who shall be separated from me for ever hereafter, 
and bfcxcondemned to scorch in everlasting burning ? No, 
if it ever be my lot. to snier into. that state, I beg of God, 
that he would direct me\\the choice of a such a wife only 
to lie in my bosom here, as may aftei'wardsVje admitted to 
rest in Abraham's bosom to all eternity ; ■ such a lope, as 
will so live and pray, and converse with me upon earth, 
that we may be both entitled to sing, to rejoice, and be J 
blessed together, for ever in heaven. 

That this, therefore, may be my portion and felicity, j 
firmly resolve, never to set upon a design, before I have 
first solicited the throne of grace, and begged of my hea* 
venly Father, to honour me with the partnership of one of 
his beloved children ; and shall afterwards be as careful 
and cautious as I can, never to fix my affections upon any 
woman for a wife, till I am thoroughly persuaded of the 
grounds I have to love her, as a true Christian. 

If I could be thus happy, as to meet with a wife of these 
qualities and endowments, it would be impossible for me 
not to be hearty and sincere in my affection toward her, 
even though I had the greatest temptations to place them 
upon another : for, how could I choose but love her, who 
has God for her father, the church for her mother, and 
heaven for her portion ; who loves God, and is beloved of 
him ? especially, when I consider, that this love to her, 
will not only be my duty but my happiness too. 

As to the duty, it is frequently inculcated in the scrip- 



RESOLUTIONS. 145 

ture, that husbands shall love their wives, and that not with 
a common love, but as Christ loved his church, Eph. v. 25. 
yea, as their own body, ver. 28. or, as themselves, ver. 33. 
and they are so to love them, as not to be bitter against 
them, Col. iii. 19. not to be passionate or angry with them 
upon every light matter, nor suffer their resentments to 
rise to that height, upon any occasion whatsoever, as to 
abate the least spark of conjugal affection towards them, 
but to nourish and cherish them even as the Lord the church. 
In a word, to do all the kind offices they can for them, 
in their civil capacities, and to help and forward them, by 
all means possible, in the way that leads to heaven ; that 
as they are united in the flesh, so they may likewise be 
united in the spirit, and raised and rewarded together at 
the general resurrection. 

And, as love is the great duty, so it is likewise the chief 
happiness of a married state. I do not mean that love 
whereby she loves me, but that wherewith I love her ; 
for, if I myself have not a cordial esteem and affection for 
her, what happiness will it be to me, to be beloved by 
her ? or rather, what a misery would it be to be forced to 
live with one I know I cannot love ? As ever, therefore, 
I desire to be happy, I must perform my duty hi this 
particular, and' never aim at any other end, in the choice 
of a wife, nor expect any other happiness in the enjoy- 
ment of her, but what is founded in the principle of pure 
and inviolable love. If I should court and marry a wo- 
man for riches, then, whensoever they fail, or take their 
flight, my love and my happiness must drop and vanish 
together with them. If I choose her for beauty only, I 
shall love her no longer than while that continues, which 
is only till age or sickness blasts it, and then farewell at 
once, both duty and delight. 

But if I love her for her virtues, and for the sake of 
God, who has enjoined it as a duty, that our affections 
should not be alienated, or separated by any thing but 
death ; then, though all the other sandy foundations fail, 
yet will my happiness remain entire ; even though I should 
not perceive those mutual returns of love, which are due 
from her to me upon the same bottom. But, oh ! the hap- 
piness of that couple, whose inclinations to each other 
are as mutual as their duties ; whose affections, as well as 
persons, are linked together with the same tie ! this is the 
chief condition required to make the state of matrimony 
happy or desirable, and shall be the chief motive, w r itli 

G 



146 RESOLUTIONS. 

me, to influence me to enter into it. For, though it be 
no happiness to be beloved by one I do not love • yet it is 
certainly a very great one to be beloved by one I do. If 
this, then, be my lot, to have mutual expressions of love 
from the person I fix my affections upon, what joy and 
comfort will it raise in my heart ? with what peace and 
amity shall we live together here ? and what glory and 
felicity may we not promise ourselves hereafter ? 

What is here said of the duty in choosing and loving of 
a wife, may be likewise applied to a woman's duty in choos- 
ing and loving her husband. But being not so immediate- 
ly concerned in this, I pass on to my next resolution. 

RESOLUTION III. 

/ am resolved, by the grace of God, to do my endeavours 
to give to God whatsoever children he shall be pleased to give 
me ; that as they are mine by nature, they may be his by 



HAVE sometimes wondered at the providence of God, 
in bringing so many millions of people out of the loins 
of one man ; and cannot but make this use of it, even to 
stir up myself to a double diligence, in bringing up my 
children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, For 
who knows, but the salvation of ten thousand souls may 
depend upon the education of one single child ? 

If I train up my son in the ways of religion, and teach 
him what it is to keep a conscience void of offence toirards 
God, and towards man ; he will then not only have an in- 
ward sense of his own duty, but take all possible care to 
instil it into others, whether children or servants, that are 
committed to his charge ; and these, again, will do the 
same to theirs, by teaching them to walk in the same 
path; till, by degrees, the piety and holiness of one man 
has diffused itself to all succeeding generations. But now, 
on the other hand, if I neglect the care of my son's educa- 
tion, and suffer the leprosy of sin and wickedness to taint 
and corrupt him, it is great odds, without an extraordi- 
nary interposition of divine grace, but the infection may 
spread itself over all my posterity ; and so draw down upon 
me the curses and accusations of ten thousand souls in hell, 
which might otherwise have been praising and blessing 
God for me, to all eternity, in heaven. 

Hence it is, that I am resolved to endeavour to be a 



RESOLUTIONS. 147 

spiritual, as well as natural father to my children ; yea, to 
take more care to get a portion for their souls in heaven, 
than to make provision for their bodies upon earth. For, 
if he be accounted worse than an infidel that provides not for 
his family, the sustenance of their bodies, what is he that 
suffers his family to neglect the salvation of their souls ? 

That nothing of this, therefore, may be laid to my 
charge, if ever providence sees fit to bless me with chil- 
dren of my own, I will take effectual care, so soon as con- 
veniently I can, to devote them unto God by baptism ; 
that what guilt they have contracted, by coming through 
my loins, may be washed away by the laver of regenera- 
tion ; and then to be constantly soliciting at the throne of 
grace, that he who hath given them to me, would be pleas- 
ed likewise to give himself to them. 

The next thing to be done, as soon as they come to be 
capable of instruction, is to take all occasions and make 
use of all means, to work the knowledge of God into their 
heads, and the grace of Christ into their hearts ; by teach- 
ing them to remember their Creator in the days of their youth; 
by acquainting them with the duties that he that made 
them expects from them ; with the rewards they shall have, 
if dutiful; and the punishments they shall feel, if disobe- 
dient children ; still accommodating my expressions to the 
shallow capacity of their tender years. And, according 
to their doing, or not doing, of what they have been told, 
I shall reward them with what is most pleasing, or punish 
them with what is most displeasing to their years. To 
speak to them of heaven and eternal glory, will not encou- 
rage them so much, as to give them their childish plea- 
sures and desires : and the denouncing of a future hell will 
not affright them so much as the inflicting a present smart. 
Hence it is, that Solomon so often inculcates this upon pa- 
rents, as their duty to their children, that they should not 
spare the rod, lest they spoil the child. 

But I must still take care to let them understand, that 
what I do is from a principle of love and affection to them, 
not of fury and indignation against them : for, by this 
means God may correct me for correcting them : I may 
set before my children such an example of indiscreet and 
sinful passion, as they will be apt enough to learn, with- 
out my teaching them. On the other hand, it behoves 
me, if possible, so to order my family, that my children 
may not see or hear, and so not learn, any thing but good- 
ness in it ; for commonly, according to what we learn 

G 2 



148 RESOLUTIONS. 

•when we are young, we practise when we are old. And, 
therefore, as I shall take great care, that my children learn 
nothing that is evil or sinful at home ; so likewise that they 
do not come into such company abroad, where their inno- 
cence may be assaulted with swearing, cursing, or any 
kind of profane or obscene discourse, which the generality 
of our youth are so obnoxious to. 

Or at least, if this is not wholly to be avoided, to pre- 
vent those poisonous weeds from taking root in the heart, 
it behoves me to take all opportunities of discoursing to 
them of God and Christ, of the immortality of their souls, 
and the future state they are to be doomed to in another 
world, when they have lived a little while in this ; that 
according as they grow in years, they may grow in grace, 
and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 
And when they come to years of discretion, capable of do- 
ing farther honour and service to God and their country, 
by some calling or profession, I must be sure to place 
them in such a one as may be no hinderance to that high 
and heavenly calling, which they have in Christ Jesus, 
but rather contribute to further and promote it ; that, be- 
ing like tender plants engrafted into the true vine, they 
may bring forth much fruit, to God's glory, to my com- 
fort, and their own salvation. 

RESOLUTION IV. 

/ am resolved, by the grace of God, to do my duty to my ser- 
vants as well as expect they should do theirs to me. 

IT was Joshua's, and, by God's grace, it shall be my 
resolution, that / and my house fear the Lord. I, in 
the first place, and then my house ; for if I myself do not, 
1 cannot expect that they should. So that, for the order- 
ing of my family in general, I must not only press their 
duty upon them, but likewise practise my own duty, in 
suppressing all vicious and lewd conversation, and com- 
posing all strife and contention amongst them ; in pray- 
ing every day, at least twice with them ; in catechising 
and expounding the principles of religion to them, and in 
calling for an account of every sermon and godly discourse 
they hear, either in private or in public ; in seeing that 
they constantly frequent the divine ordinances, and that 
they behave themselves so conscientiously therein, that 
they may be, some way or other, the better by them. 



RESOLUTIONS. 149 

And to these ends, I think it my duty to allow my ser- 
vants some time, every day, wherein to serve God, as 
well as to see they spend their other hours in serving me; 
and to make them sensible that they do not serve me only 
for myself, but ultimately and principally in reference unto 
God ; their serving me making way for my better serving 
God. 

And, for this reason, I cannot believe, but it is as great 
a sin to Gumber my servants, as myself, with too much 
worldly business. For how can they spend any time in 
the service of God, when I require all their time in my 
own ? And how justly should I be condemned, if by this 
means I should bring them into a sort of necessity of sin- 
ning, either in not obeying God, or not obeying me ; not 
that I think it a servant's duty to neglect his Creator to 
serve liis master ; on the contrary, he is obliged, in all 
cases, where their commands interfere, to obey God, ra- 
ther than man. But where they do not, there is a strict 
injunction upon all servants, that they should be obedient 
to their masters according to the flesh, with fear and trem~ 
bling, in singleness of heart, as unto Christ, Eph. vi. 5. 
But how with fear and trembling? why, fearing lest they 
should offend God, in offending them, and trembling at 
the thoughts of being disobedient to the divine command, 
which enjoins them to be obedient to their masters in all 
things, not answering again, Tit. ii. 9. that is, not repin- 
ing at their master's lawful commands, not muttering and 
maundering against them, as some are apt to do : for it is 
as great a sin in servants to speak irreverently to their mas- 
ters, as in masters to speak passionately to their servants. 

But how are servants to give obedience to their mas- 
ters, with singleness of heart, as unto Christ ? why, by 
obeying them only in obedience unto Christ ; that is, they 
are therefore to do their master's will, because it is the 
Lord's will they should do it ; serving them, not with eye- 
service, as men-pleasers, but as the servants of Christ, doing 
the will of God from the heart, with good-will doing service, 
as unto the Lord, and not to men, Eph. vi. 6, 7. Col. iii. 
22. This is the duty therefore that I shall be oft incul- 
cating upon my servants, and shall as oft be reflecting 
upon myself, that what I require for my own service may 
be always in subordination to God's, who is our common 
Lord and master, whose laws are equally obliging to all 
ranks and conditions of men, and m whose sight there is 
no respect of persons. 

G 3 



t.JO RESOLUTIONS. 

RESOLUTION V. 

/ am resolved, by the grace of God, to feed the flock that 
God shall set me over, with wholesome food, neither starv- 
ing them by idleness, poisoning with error, nor puffing 
them up with impertinence. 

A ND here I cannot but declare, that ever since I knew 
±\. what it was to study, I have found by experience, 
that spiritual and intellectual pleasures do as far surpass 
those that are temporal and sensual, as the soul exceeds 
the body. And, for this reason, as I always thought the 
study and profession of divinity to be the noblest and most 
agreeable of all others, as carrying with it its own encou- 
ragement and reward ; so I have often wondered with 
myself, that the greatest persons in the world should not 
be desirous and ambitious of exercising their part in the 
study of this necessary, as well as sublime science, and 
even devoting themselves to the profession of it. For, do 
they aspire after honour ? What greater honour can there 
be, than to be the mouth of God to the people, and of the 
people unto God ; to have the most High himself, not only 
to speak by them, but in them too ? What greater honour 
than to have a commission from the King of kings, to re- 
present himself before his people, and call them, in his 
name, to return from the error of their ways, and walk in 
the paths of God to everlasting glory ? What greater ho- 
nour than to be an instrument, in his hand, to bring poor 
Souls from the gates of hell, to set them among princes in 
the court of heaven ? Do they thirst after pleasures ? What 
greater pleasures can they have, than to make it their bu- 
siness to feed themselves and others with the bread and 
water of life ? 

But stay, my soul, let not thy thoughts run only upon 
the dignity of thy function, and the spiritual pleasures that 
attend the faithful discharge of it; but think likewise upon 
the strict account thou must give of it in another life : the 
serious consideration of which, as it cannot but be a great 
comfort to the true and faithful pastor, who has diligently 
led his flock with the sincere -milk of God's word ; so must 
it be a great terror and confusion to the slothful and negli- 
gent, the false and deceitful dispensers of the divine mys- 
ferieSj who have either carelessly lost, or treacherously de- 
luded the souls of those committed to their charge, which 



RESOLUTIONS. 151 

they must one day answer for, as well as for their own. 
And, therefore, that nothing of this kind may ever be laid 
to my charge, I solemnly promise and resolve, before God, 
so to demean myself in the exercise of my ministerial func- 
tion, as to make the care of souls, especially of those com- 
mitted to my charge, the chief study and business of my 
life. 

And that without partiality or exception, I must not sin- 
gle out some of the best of my flock, such as I have the 
highest respect for, or have received the greatest obliga- 
tions from ; but minister to every one according to their se- 
veral necessities. .If I meet with men of knowledge and 
virtue, my business must be to confirm and establish them 
therein ; if with those that are ignorant and immoral, to 
teach and instruct them in the ways of religion, and by all 
means possible, to reclaim and reduce them to the exer- 
cise of their duty ; always remembering, that as the bless- 
ed Jesus, the great shepherd and bishop of our souls, was 
not sent, save unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel, and 
came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance ; so 
it is the indispensable duty of his apostles and ministers 
(and by the grace of God I shall make it mine) to follow 
his example in this particular • to spare no time nor pains 
in the reformation of sinners, though it be never so irk- 
some and difficult to accomplish ; even though I should 
meet with such as the prophet David speaks of, who hate 
to be reformed, and cast my words behind them. And there- 
fore as I know it is my duty, so I shall always endeavour 
to take pleasure in the several offices I perform of this 
kind, to strengthen the weak, heal the wounded, and bind up 
the broken heart ; to call in those that err and go astray, 
and seek and save them that are lost. 

To these ends, though preaching is, without doubt, a 
most excellent and useful, as well as necessary duty, (es- 
pecially if it be performed, as it ought, with zeal and re- 
verence, and the doctrine applied and pressed home, with 
sincerity of affection) yet, I shall not think it sufficient to 
instruct my people only from the pulpit, but take all op- 
portunities to instil good thoughts and principles into their 
minds in my private conversation. I know it is impossi- 
ble for all ministers frequently to visit every particular per- 
son or family in their parish, there being, in some parishes, 
especially in and about London, so many thousands of 
souls : but, howsoever, if it should please the Lord to call 
me to such a flock, though I cannot visit all, I shall visit as 

G 4 



152 RESOLUTIONS. 

many as I can ; especially those that are sick or infirm, 
and be sure to feed them with the sincere milk of the word, 
such as may turn to their spiritual nourishment, and make 
them grow in grace, and in the knowledge of oar Lard and 
Saviour Jesus Christ. I will not fill their heads with specu- 
lative notions and niceties in divinity ; (which, among the 
less judicious, are very often the occasion of heresy and 
error, and sometimes also, of delusion and distraction :) 
but my chief care shall be to instruct them in those neces- 
sary truths which their Christian faith indispensably ob- 
liges them to know and believe, and press them to the per- 
formance of those duties, without which they cannot be 
saved ; meekly and impartially reproving the particular 
vices they are most inclined and addicted to, and cheer- 
fully encouraging and improving whatever virtuous ac- 
tions they are, any of them, exemplary in, and whatever 
good habits and inclinations the divine grace has put into 
their hearts. 

And since love and charity is the great characteristic of 
our profession, the bond and cement of all other Christian 
duties, in order to make my ministry the more successful, 
I resolve, in the last place, not only to avoid all differences 
and disputes with them myself, but amicably to compose 
all such as may arise among the neighbours. In a w T ord, 
I shall make it my endeavour, in all things, so to approve 
myself as a faithful minister, both in life and doctrine be- 
fore them, that at the last day, when the great God shall 
call for my parish, and myself to appear before him, I 
may be prepared to give an account of both ; at least, to 
answer for as many of them as he requires ; and may, with 
joy and comfort pronounce tills sentence of my Saviour, 
if it may, without offence, be applied to his ministers, be* 
hold I, and the children which thou hast given me. 

RESOLUTION VI. 

I am resolved, by the grace of God, to be as faithful and con* 
slant to my friend, as I would have mi/ friend to be faith- 
ful and constant to me. 

HAVING before resolved to be zealous in loving God, 
I here resolve to be as constant in loving my friend. 
But why do I resolve upon this ? Is it possible to live and 
not to love ? This to me seems as plain a contradiction, as 
to live and not to live. For love, in my opinion, is as 



RESOLUTIONS. 163 

much the life of the soul, as the soul is the life of the body. 
So that, for my own part, I shall expect to cease to live, 
at the very moment that I cease to love ; nay, I do not look 
upon love only as my life, but as the joy and comfort of it 
too. And, for this reason, I shall never envy any man his 
riches, pleasures, or preferments, provided that I can but 
enjoy the persons my soul delight in, viz. Christ in the 
first place, and my friend and neighbour in the second. 

But then I must have a great care where and how I 
place this affection ; for if 1 place it wrong, my very lov- 
ing will be sinning. And therefore, I shall always en- 
deavour to make such only my friends, as are friends to 
God. Not that I look upon it as necessary to love my 
friends always under that notion only as they are friends 
of God; for then, no love but that which is spiritual 
would be lawful ; whereas there is, doubtless, a natural 
love, that is no less a duty, and, by consequence, no less 
lawful, than the other ; as, the love of parents towards 
their children, and children towards their parents ; and 
the mutual complacency that arises betwixt friends, as well 
as relations, from the harmony and agreement of humours 
and tempers. Thus our Saviour is said to have loved St. 
John more than any of his other disciples, which cannot 
be understood of a spiritual love ; for this, undoubtedly, 
was equal to all ; but being a man subject to the like pas- 
sions (though not imperfections) as we are, he placed 
more natural affection upon, and might have more natural 
complacency in John than in his other discipJes, 

And, therefore, when I say, I am to make such my 
friends only, as are friends to God, my meaning is, that 
I w T ill make none my friends, but such as I know to be 
good men and good Christians, such as deserve my love in 
a spiritual as well as a natural sense ; and since I may law- 
fully love my friend in both these senses, the one is so 
far from being exclusive, that it is really perfective of the 
other. And for this reason, as the spiritual good of my 
friend is always to be preferred before that which is tem- 
poral, I am resolved to found the one upon the other. I 
will always be ready, as oft as he stands in need, either 
of ray advice, encouragement, or assistance, to do him 
all the kind offices I can in his worldly affairs, to promote 
his interest, vindicate his character from secret aspersions, 
and defend his person from open assaults : to be faithful \ 
and punctual in the performance of my promises to him, 
as well as in keeping the secrets he has entrusted me with, 
G 5 



154i RESOLUTIONS. 

But all these things are to be done with a tender regard to 
the honour of God, and the duties of religion ; so that the 
services I do him in his temporal concerns, must be still 
consistent with, and subservient to, the spiritual interest 
and welfare of his immortal soul, in which I am principal- 
ly obliged to manifest my friendship towards him. If I 
see him wander out of the right way, I must immediately 
take care to advertise him of it, and use the best means I 
can to bring him back to it. Or if I know him to be guil- 
ty of any reigning vices, I must endeavour to convince 
him of the danger and malignity of them, and importune 
and persuade him to amend and forsake them. And last- 
ly, I must be as constant in keeping my friend, as cauti- 
ous in choosing him, still continuing the heat of my af- 
fections towards him, in the day of his affliction, as well as 
in the height of his prosperity. 

These are the rules whereby I resolve to express my 
friendship unto others, and whereby I would have others 
to express their friendship unto me. 



*>%. ■v*. vvv*\ %*/% 



CONCERNING MY TALENTS. 

"AVING so solemnly devoted myself to God, accord- 
ing to the covenant he hath made with me, and the 
duty I owe to him ; not only what I am, and what I do, 
but likewise what I have, is still to be improved for him. 
And this I am bound to, not only upon a federal, but even 
a natural account ; for whatsoever I have, I received from 
him, and therefore, all the reason in the world, whatso- 
ever I have should be improved for him. For, I look 
upon myself as having no other property in what I enjoy, 
than a servant hath in what he is intrusted with to im- 
prove for his master's use : thus, though I should have 
ten thousand pounds a year, I should have no more of my 
own, than if I had but twopence in all the world. For it 
is only committed to my care for a season, to be employed 
and improved to the best advantage, and will be called 
for again at the grand audit, when I must answer for the 
use or abuse of it ; so that, whatsoever in a civil sense I 
can call my oAvn, that, in a spiritual sense, I must esteem 
as God's. And therefore it nearly concerns me to manage 
all the talents 1 am entrusted with as things I must give a 



RESOLUTIONS. lo5 

strict account for at the day of judgment. As God be- 
stows his mercies upon me, through the greatness of his 
love and affection, so I am to restore his mercies back 
again to him by the holiness of my life and conversation. 
In a word, whatever I receive from his bounty, I must, 
some way or other, lay out for his glory, accounting no- 
thing my own, any farther than as I improve it for God's 
sake and the spiritual comfort of my own soul. 

In order to this, I shall make it my endeavour, by the 
blessing of God, to put in practice the following resolu- 
tions. 

RESOLUTION I. 

/ am resolved, if possible, to redeem my time past, by using 
a double diligence for the future, to employ and improve all 
the gifts and endowments, both of body and mind, to the 
glory and service of my great Creator. 

HHIME, health, and parts, are three precious talents, 
■*- generally bestow T ed upon men, but seldom improved 
for God. To go no farther than myself, how much time 
and health have I enjoyed,, by God's grace ? and how lit- 
tle of it have I laid out for his honour ? On the contrary, 
how oft have I offended, affronted, and provoked him, 
even when he has been courting me with Ins favours, and 
daily pouring forth his benefits upon me ? this, alas I is a 
sad truth, which whensoever I seriously reflect upon, I 
cannot but acknowledge the continuance of my life as the 
greatest instance of God's mercy and goodness, as well as 
the greatest motive to my gratitude and obedience. In a 
due sense, therefore, of the vanities and follies of xny 
younger years, I desire to take shame to myself for what is 
past, and do this morning humbly prostrate myself before 
the throne of grace, to implore God's pardon, and to make 
solemn promises and resolutions, for the future, to cast off 
the works of darkness, and to put on the armour of light, and 
not only so, but to redeem the precious minutes I have 
squandered away, by husbanding those that remain, to 
the best advantage. I will not trifle and sin away my time 
in the pleasures of sense, or the im pertinencies of. business, 
but shall always employ it in things that are necessary, 
useful, and proportion it to the weight and importance of 
the work or business I engage myself in ; allotting such a 
part of it for this business, and such a part for tliat, so as 

G 6 



156 RESOLUTIONS. 

to leave no intervals for unlawful or unnecessary actions, 
to thrust themselves in, and pollute my life and conversa- 
tion. 

For, since it has pleased God to favour me with the 
blessing of health, and I am not certain how soon I may 
be deprived of it, and thrown upon a bed of sickness, 
which may deprive me of the use of my reason, or make 
me incapable of any thing else, but grapple with my dis- 
temper ; it highly concerns me to make a due use of this 
blessing, while I have it : to improve these parts and gifts 
that God has endowed me with, to the manifestation of 
his glory, the salvation of my soul, and the public good of 
the community whereof I am a member. 

To these ends, it will be requisite for me frequently to 
consider with myself, which way my weak parts may be 
the most usefully employed, and to bend them to those stu- 
dies and actions, which they are naturally the most inclin- 
ed to, and delighted in, with the utmost vigour and ap- 
plication ; more particularly in spiritual matters, to make 
use of all opportunities for the convincing others of God's 
love to them, and their sins against God ; of their misery 
by nature, and happiness by Christ, and when the truth 
of God happens to be any way traduced or opposed, to be 
as valiant in the defence of it, as its enemies are violent in 
their assaults against it. And as I thus resolve to employ 
my inward gifts and faculties for the glory and service of 
God; so, 

RESOLUTION II. 

/ am resolved, by the divine grace, to employ my riches the 
outward blessings- of providence, to the same end; and to 
observe such a due medium in the dispensing of them, as 
to avoid prodigality on the one hand, and covetousness on 
the other. 

PHIS, without doubt, is a necessary resolution, but it 
is likewise very difficult to put in practice, without a 
careful observance of the following rules. 

First, never to lavish out my substance, like the prodi- 
gal, in the revels of sin and vanity, but, after a due provi- 
sion for the necessities and conveniences of life, to lay up 
the overplus for acts of love and charity towards my indi- 
gent brethren. I must consider the uses and ends for 
which God has entrusted me with such and such posses- 



ItESOLUTIONS. 157 

sions ; that they were not given me for the pampering my 
body, the feeding my lusts, or puffing me up with pride 
and ambition ; but for advancing his glory, and my own, 
and the public good. But why do I say given ? when, as 
I before observed, I have no property in the riches I pos- i 
sess ; they are only lent me for a few years to be dispens- 
ed and distributed, as my great Lord and Master sees fit 
to appoint, viz. for the benefit of the poor and necessitous, 
which he has made his deputies to call for and receive his 
money at my hands. And this, indeed, is the best use I 
can put it to, for my own advantage, as well as theirs : for 
the money I bestow upon the poor, I give to God to lay 
up for me, and I have his infallible word and promise for 
it, that it shall be paid me again with unlimited interest 
out of his heavenly treasury, which is infinite, eternal, and 
inexhaustible. Hence it is, that whensoever I see any fit 
object of charity, methinks I hear the Most High say unto 
me, give this poor brother so much of my stock, which 
thou hast in thy hand, and I will place it to thy account, 
as given to myself; and look what thou lagest out, and it 
shall belaid thee again. 

The second rule is, never to spend a penny, where it 
can be better spared ; nor to spare it, wlien it can be bet- 
ter spent. And this will oblige me, whensoever any occa- 
sion offers of laying out money, considerately to weigh 
the circumstances of it, and, according as the matter, 
upon mature deliberation, requires, I must not grudge to 
spend it : or, if at any time, I find more reason to spare, 
I must not dare to spend it ; still remembering, that as I 
am strictly to account for the money God has given me, so 
I ought neither to be covetous in saving, or hoarding it 
up, nor profuse in throwing it away, without a just occa- 
sion. The main thing to be regarded, is the end I pro- 
pose to myself in my expences, whether it be really the 
glory of God, or my own carnal humour and appetite. 

For instance, if I lay out my money in clothing my 
body, the question must be, whether I do this only for 
warmth and decency, or to gratify my pride and vanity ? 
If the former, my money is better spent ; if the latter, it 
is better spared than spent : again, do I lay it out in eat- 
ing and drinking ? if this be only to satisfy the necessities 
of nature, and make my life more easy and comfortable, it 
is, without doubt, very well spent; but if it be to feed 
my luxury and intemperance, it is much better spared ; 
better for my soul in keeping it from sin, and better for 



1.5S RESOLUTIONS. 

my body in preserving it from sickness ; and this rule is 
the more strictly to be observed,, because it is as great a 
fault in a servant not to lay out his master's money when 
he should, as to lay it out when he should not. 

In order, therefore, to avoid both these extremes, there 
is a third rule to be observed under this resolution ; and 
that is to keep a particular account of all my receipts and 
disbursements, to set down in a book every penny I re- 
ceive at the hands of the Almighty, and every penny I lay 
out for his honour and service. By this means I shall be, 
in a manner, forced both to get my money lawfully, and 
to lay it out carefully ; but how can I put that amongst the 
money I have received from God, which I have got by 
unlawful means ? certainly, such money I may rather ac- 
count as received from the devil for his use, than from 
God, for his. And so must 1 either lay every penny out 
for God, or otherwise I shall not know where to set it 
down, for I must set down nothing but what I lay out 
for his use ; and if it be not for his use, with what face 
can I say it was ? And, by this means also, when God 
shall be pleased to call me to an account for what I re- 
ceived from him, I may with comfort appear before him ; 
and having improved the talents he had committed to my 
charge, I may be received into his heavenly kingdom, 
with a well done good and faithful servant, enter thou into 
thy master s joy. 

RESOLUTION III. 

/ am resolved, by the grace of God, to improve the authority 
God gives me over others, to the suppression of vice, and 
the encouragement of virtue ; and so for the exaltation of 
God's name on earth, a?id their souls in heaven. 

pHAT all power and authority hath its original from 
God, and that one creature is not over another, but 
by the providence and will of him, who is over all ; and 
so, by consequence, that all the authority we have over 
men, is to be improved for God, is clear, not only from 
that question, Who made thee (o differ from another ? and, 
what hast thou, which thou didst not receive, 1 Cor. iv. 7. 
but likewise, and that more clearly, from that positive as- 
sertion, the powers that be are ordained of God, Rom. xiii. 
J . That, therefore, I may follow my commission, I must 
stick close to my present resolution, even in all the power 



RESOLUTIONS. 159 

God gives me, to behave myself as one invested with that 
power from above, to restrain vice and encourage virtue, 
as oft as I have an opportunity so to do, always looking 
upon myself as one commissioned by him, and acting un- 
der him. For this reason, I must still endeavour to exer- 
cise my authority, as if the most high God was in my 
place in person as well as power. I must not follow the 
dictates of my own carnal reason, much less the humours 
of my own biassed reason, but still keep to the acts which 
God himself hath made either in the general statute-book 
for all the world, the holy scriptures, or in the particular 
laws and statutes of the nation wherein I live. 

And questionless, if I discharge this duty as I ought, 
whatever sphere of authority I move in, 1 am capable of 
doing a great deal of good, not only by my power, but 
but by my influence and example. For common experi- 
ence teaches us, that even the inclinations and desires of 
of those that are eminent for their quality or station, are 
more powerful than the very commands of God himself; 
especially among persons of an inferior rank, and more 
servile disposition, who are apt to be more wrought upon 
by the fear of present punishment, or the loss of some 
temporal advantage, than any thing that is future or spi- 
ritual. Hence it is, that all those whom God entrusteth 
with this precious talent, have a great advantage and op- 
portunity in their hand, for the suppressing sin, and the 
exalting holiness in the world : a word from their mouths 
against whoredom, drunkenness, and the profanation of 
the sabbath, or the like ; yea, their very example and si- 
lent gestures being able to do more than the threatenings 
of almighty God, either pronounced by himself in his 
word, or by his ministers in his holy ordinances. 

This, therefore, is my resolution, .that whatsoever au- 
thority the most high God shall be pleased to put upon 
me, I will look upon it as my duty, and always make it 
my endeavour, to demolish the kingdom of sin and Satan, 
and establish that of Christ and holiness in the hearts of 
all those to whom my commission extends ; looking more 
at the duty God expects from me, than at the dignity he 
confers upon me. In a word, I will so exercise the pow- 
er and authority God puts into my hands here, that when 
the particular circuit of my life is ended, and I shall be 
brought to the general assize to give an account of this 
among my other talents, I may give it up with joy ; and 
so exchange my temporal authority upon earth, for an 
eternal crown of glory in heaven. 




160 RESOLUTIONS. 

RESOLUTION I 

/ am resohedy by the grace of God, to improve the affections 
God stirs up in oth&rs towards vie, to the stirring up of 
their affections towards God, 

IF the authority I have over others, then questionless 
the affection others have to me, is to be improved for 
God ; and that because the affection they bear to me in a 
natural sense hath a kind of authority in me over them in 
a spiritual one. And this I gather from my own experi- 
ence ; for I find none to have a greater command over me, 
than they that manifest the greatest affections for me. In- 
deed, it is a truth generally agreed on, that a real and sin- 
cere esteem for any person is always attended with a fear 
of displeasing that person; and where there is fear in the 
subject, there will, doubtless, be authority in the object ; 
because fear is the ground of authority, as love is, or ought 
to be, the ground of that fear. The greatest potentate, if 
not feared, will not be obeyed; if his subjects stand in no 
awe of him, he can never strike any awe upon them. Nor 
will that awe have its proper effects in curbing and re- 
straining them from sin and disobedience, unless it pro- 
ceeds from, and is joined with love. 

I know the scripture tells me, There is no fear in love, 
but that perfect love casteth out fear, 1 John iv. 18. But 
that is to be understood of our love to God, not to men, 
and that a perfect love too, such as can only be exercised 
in heaven. There, I know, our love will be consummate, 
without mixture, as well as without defect ; there will be 
a perfect expression of love on both sides, and so no fear 
of displeasure on either. But this is a happiness which is 
not to be expected here on earth ; so long as we are cloth- 
ed with flesh and blood, we shall, in one degree or other, 
be still under the influence of our passions and affections. 
And therefore as there is no person we can love upon earth, 
but who may sometimes see occasion to be displeased with 
us ; so he will always, upon this account, be feared by us. 
This I look upon as the chief occasion of one man's having 
so much power and influence over another. 

But how comes this under the notion of a talent receiv- 
ed from God, and so to be improved for him ? Why, be- 
cause it is he, and he alone, that kindles and blows up the 
sparks of pure love and affection in us, and that by the 



RESOLUTIONS. l6l 

breathings of his own Spirit. It was the Lord that gave 
Joseph favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison, Gen. 
xxxix. 21. And who brought Daniel into favour and ten- 
der love with the prince of the eunuchs, Dan. i. 9. And 
so of all others in the world : for we are told elsewhere, 
that as Godfashioneth the hearts of men, so he turneth them 
which way soever he will. Insomuch that I can never see 
any express their love to me. but I must express my thank- 
fulness to God for it ; nor can I feel in myself any warmth 
of affection towards others, without considering it as a ta- 
lent hid in my breast, which I am obliged in duty to im- 
prove for him by stirring up their affections unto him 
whose affections himself hath stirred up towards me. And 
this will be the more easy to effect, it I take care in the 
first place, to express the zeal and sincerity of my own 
love to God, by making him the chief object of my esteem 
and adoration ; and manifest my aversion to the sins they 
are guilty oi\ by representing them as most loathsome and 
abominable, as well as most dangerous and damnable. 
For, wherever there is a true and cordial affection to any 
person, it is apt to bias those that are under the influence 
of it, to choose the same objects for their love or aversion, 
that such a person does, that is, to love what he loves, and 
to hate what he hates. This, therefore, is the first thing 
to be done, to stir up the affections of others to love and 
serve God. 

Another way of my improving the affections of others 
to this end, is by setting them a good example ; for com- 
monly what a friend doth, be it good or bad, is pleasing 
to us, because we look not at the goodness of the thing 
that is done, but at the loveliness of the person that doth 
it. And if the vices of a friend seem amiable, how much 
more will their virtues shine ? For this reason, therefore, 
whensoever I perceive any person to shew a respect for, 
or affection to me, I shall always look upon it as an op- 
portunity put into my hands to serve and glorify my great 
Creator, and shall look upon it as a call from heaven, as 
much as if I heard the Almighty say to me, I desire to 
have this person love me, and therefore have I made him 
to love thee ; do thou but set before him an example of 
goodness and virtue, and his love to thy person shall in- 
duce and engage him to direct his actions according to it. 
This, therefore, is the rule that I fully resolve to guide 
myself by, with relation to those who are pleased to allow 
me a share in their esteem and affection, which I hope to 



162 RESOLUTIONS. 

improve to their advantage in the end ; that as they love 
me, and I love them now, so we may all love God, and 
God love us to all eternity. 

RESOLUTION V. 

/ am resolved, by the grace of God, to improve every good 
thought to the producing of good affections in myself and 
as good actions with respect to God. 

WHATSOEVER comes from God, being a talent to 
be improved to him, I cannot but think good 
thoughts to be as precious talents, as it is possible a crea- 
ture can be blessed with. But let me esteem them as I 
will, I am sure my master will reckon them amongst the 
talents he entrusts me with, and will call me to an account 
for ; and, therefore, I ought not to neglect them. The 
scripture tells me, / am not sufficient of myself to think any 
thing as of myself but that my sufficiency is of God, 2 Cor. 
iii. 5. And if I be not sufficient to think any thing, much 
less am I able of myself to think of that which is good ; 
forasmuch as to good thoughts there must always be sup- 
posed a special concurrence of God's Spirit ; whereas to 
other thoughts there is only the general concurrence of his 
presence. Seeing, therefore, they come from God, how 
must I lay them out for him ? Why, by sublimating good 
thoughts unto good affections. Does God vouchsafe to 
send down into my heart a thought of himself ? I am to 
send up this thought to him again, in the fiery chariot of 
love, desire and joy. Doth he dart into my soul a thought 
of holiness and purity ? I am to dwell and meditate upon 
it till it break out into a flame of love and affection for him. 
Doth he raise up in my spirit a thought of sin, and shew 
me the ugliness and deformity of it ? I must let it work 
its desired effect, by making it as loathsome and detestable 
as that thought represents it to be. 

But good thoughts must not only be improved to pro- 
duce good affections in my heart, but likewise good ac- 
tionsh'n my life. So that the thoughts of God should not 
only make me more taken with his beauty, but more ac- 
tive for his glory ; and the thoughts of sin should not only 
damp my affection to it, but likewise deter and restrain me 
from the commission of it. 

And thus every good thought that God puts into my 
heart, instead of slipping out, as it does with some others 
without regard, will be cherished and improved to the pro- 



RESOLUTIONS. l63 

during of good actions : these actions will entitle me to the 
blessing of God, and that to the kingdom of glory. 

RESOLUTION VI. 

/ am resolved, by the grace of God, to improve every afflic- 
tion God. lays upon me, as an earnest token of his affection 
towards me. 

l^VERY thing that flows from God to his servants, com- 
*-^ ing under the notion of talents, to be improved for 
himself, I am sure afflictions, as well as other mercies, 
must needs be reckoned amongst those talents God is 
pleased to vouchsafe. Indeed it is a talent, without which 
I should be apt to forget the improvement of all the rest ; 
and which, if well improved, itself will work out forme afar 
more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, 2 Cor. iv. 7. It 
is the non-improvement of an affliction that makes it a 
curse ; whereas, if improved, it is as great a blessing as 
any God is pleased to scatter amongst the children of 
men. And therefore it is, that God most frequently en- 
trusteth this precious talent with his own peculiar people : 
You only have I known of all the families of the earth ; there- 
fore will I punish yon for your iniquities, Amos iii. 2. Those 
that God knows the best, with them will he entrust the 
most, if not of other talents, yet be sure of this, which is 
so useful and necessary to bring us to the knowledge of 
ourselves and our Creator, that without it we should be 
apt to forget both. 

It is this that shews us the folly and pride of presump- 
tion, as well as the vanity and emptiness of all worldly en- 
joyments ; and deters us from incensing and provoking 
him, from whom all our happiness as well as our afflic- 
tions, flow; let, therefore, what crosses or calamities so- 
ever befal me, I am still resolved to bear them all, not 
only with a patient resignation to the divine will, but even- 
to comfort and rejoice myself in them, as the greatest 
blessings. For instance, am I seized with pain and sick- 
ness ? I shall look upon it as a message from God, sent on 
purpose to put me in mind of death, and to convince me 
of the necessity of being always prepared for it by a good 
life, which a state of uninterrupted health is apt to make 
us unmindful of. Do I sustain any losses or crosses ? The 
true use of this is, to make me sensible of the fickleness 
and inconstancy of this world's blessings, which we can 



164 RESOLUTIONS. 

no sooner cast our eye upon, but they immediately take to 
themselves wings, and fly away from us. And so, all other 
afflictions God sees fit to lay upon me, may in like manner 
be, some way or other, improved for my happiness. 

But, besides the particular improvements of particular 
chastisments, the general improvement of all is the increas- 
ing of my love and affection to that God, who brings these 
afflictions upon me. For how runs the mittimus, whereby 
he is pleased to send me to the dungeon of afflictions ? De- 
liver such a one to Satan to be buffetted in the flesh : that the 
spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus, 1 Cor. v. 
5. By this it appears, that the furnace of afflictions, which 
God is pleased at any time to throw me into, is not heated 
at the fire of his wrath, but at the flames of his affection to 
me. The consideration whereof, as it should more inflame 
my love to him, so shall it likewise engage me to express a 
greater degree of gratitude towards him, when he singles 
me out, not only to suffer from him, but for him too. For 
this is an honour indeed peculiar to the saints of God, 
which if he should be pleased ever to prefer me to, I shall 
look upon it as upon other afflictions, to be improved for 
his glory, the good of others, and the everlasting com- 
fort of my own soul. 

Thus have I reckoned up the talents God hath, or may 
put into my hands, to be improved for his glory. May 
the same divine being that entrusted me with them, and 
inspired me with these good resolutions concerning them, 
enable me, by his grace, to make a dije use of them, and 
carefully to put in practice what I have thus religiously re- 
solved upon. 

There are some other mercies, which might be set down 
in the catalogue of talents, as the graces and motions of 
God's holy Spirit, and the use of his holy ordinances, un- 
der the ministry of the gospel ; but these being included 
and insisted on, under several of the foregoing heads, will 
not require a distinct consideration, 



PRIVATE THOUGHTS 

UPON A 

CHRISTIAN LIFE; 

OR, NECESSARY 

DIRECTIONS 

FOR ITS BEGINNING AND PROGRESS UPON 

EARTH, 

IN ORDER TO ITS FINAL PERFECTION IN THE 

PART SECOND. 



THE 



PREFACE. 



<npHE kind reception which has been given to all the 
-*- other works of this incomparable author, particularly 
to his private thoughts, written in his younger years, has 
encouraged the publishing of another volume of his 
thoughts, upon subjects of the most importance to the 
Christian life, in all the chief scenes of it ; and those com- 
posed when age and experience in the course of his paro- 
chial ministry had taught him, what directions were most 
necessary for the conduct of every disciple of Christ, 
through all the stages of that race that is set before us, that 
he may so rim that he may obtain. Accordingly, the read- 
er is here furnished, not only with such instructions, as 
are most proper for the entrance upon this race, and the 
early discipline of those who are new listed under Christ's 
banner ; but also with such other points both of faith and 
practice, as are most fit to be afterwards inculcated and 
pressed upon them, for their successful carrying on of this 
holy warfare, and finishing their course, so as at last to 
attain the crown of righteousness, laid up for all those that 
continue Christ's faithful soldiers and servants to their lives 
end. 

And as in his private thoughts and resolutions, this ex- 
cellent bishop seems chiefly to have aimed at settling his 
own principles, and regulating his practice, as became a 
follower of the holy Jesus, and a minister of his gospel : 
so in these which are more public, he carries on the same 
pious design with respect to others, and executes that sa- 
cred office, for which those were to prepare him. Indeed, 
great and indefatigable as his labours were (for few ever 
laboured more) the end of them was always the salvation of 
souls. And as the spirit of piety which runs through all 
his writings, together with his plain, unaffected, familiar, 
and yet solid way of argument and persuasion, are both 
admirably adapted to this great end ; (to say nothing of all 
his other daily and unwearied pains in the ministry while 



16$ PREFACE. 

living) so, through God's great blessing upon his endea- 
vours, they were then, and have been since crowned with 
great success ; and it is the hopes and prayers of all good 
men, that they may continue so to the end of the world, 
and daily add to our holiness and his happiness. 

Among many instances that might be given of this hap- 
py success, I have now one before me in a relation of the 
behaviour of one of this vigilant pastor's flock, in his last 
sickness, as it is attested by an eye-witness of it. I will 
not trouble the reader with the particulars ; the sum is, 
that this pious gentleman, with his last breath, expressed 
so much resignation to God's will, and so little fear of 
death, such comfort in reflecting upon the better part of 
his life, especially his charity to the poor ; and so much 
zeal in recommending that duty to those about him ; and 
above all such an anticipation of those extasies of joy and 
happiness which he was going to in another world, and so 
uncommon and enlarged an understanding of the great 
mysteries of religion ; that if, in the midst of these holy 
raptures, he had not owned his great obligations to Dr. 
Beveridge for these spiritual blessings, yet we might have 
easily judged, that so great a proficient hi the school of re- 
ligion could be indebted, under God, to the care and in- 
struction of no less a master for such extraordinary acquire- 
ments. 

And, with respect to that good, which it is piously hop- 
ed this great prelate's works have done since his death, 
and may continue to do daily, it has been observed by 
some persons, that .since the publication of them, our 
churches have bee>* generally fuller than they used to be ; 
to which, as nothing would contribute more, than that 
spirit of devotion and true piety, which, in all his practi- 
cal writings, this holy man both expresses himself and la- 
bours to create in others ; so, if after all these pious en- 
deavours to cultivate and promote it in the world, we are 
sensible of the least growth of it, I know not why we may 
not ascribe so good an effect to the blessing of God upon 
so probable a cause. 

However, if the piety of some among us, which we hope 
increaseth, be not a sufficient argument of a probable in- 
crease of true religion, to be expected from the influence 
of this great man's works, yet I am sorry to say, that the 
wickedness of others does abundantly make up that de- 
fect ; I mean the restless endeavours of all the enemies of 
God and religion, to discredit and defame them ; if by any 

- 2 



PREFACE. 169 

means they could be able to ward such a blow to the king- 
dom of darkness, as they seem to apprehend from his pi- 
ous labours. And what wonder if those who mock God, 
and would bring religion itself into contempt, use their ut- 
most endeavours to blast the reputation of an author, whose 
writings are so eminently serviceable to religion, and tend 
so much to advance the glory of God ? all their attempts 
of this nature, are so many arguments of the excellency 
of what they would decry ; they are the testimonies even of 
enemies, in behalf of those admirable books, which they 
pretend to ridicule ; and all the scorn and contempt they 
express upon this occasion, reflects more honour upon 
bishop Beveridge and his works, I had almost said even 
than the approbation and esteem of all his and religion's 
friends. So much good does God in his infinite wisdom 
and mercy produce out of the greatest evil, by turning all 
the wit and malice of these reprobates against themselves, 
and making them, even against their own wills, instru- 
ments of sounding forth the praises of this excellent writer, 
at the same time, and by the very same means, that they 
vainly attempt to dishonour and reproach him ; as the de- 
vils themselves were forced to own our blessed Saviour, 
though they knew he came oru purpose to destroy them. 
It were only to be wished, that in this, as in most other 
instances, those children of this world were not in their ge- 
neration so much wiser than the children of light. It is true, 
we may as well fear, that dogs should bark out the moon, 
as that the utmost malice of these enemies to truth, shall 
ever be able to sully a reputation, that has long sinned 
with so much brightness, among all learned and good 
men, both at home and abroad, insomuch that when this 
illustrious prelate was a dying, one of the chief of his or- 
der deservedly said of him, there goes one of the greatest and 
best men England ever bred. No, we have seen all their at- 
tempts against him do but add lustre to his fame: how- 
ever, it cannot be less the interest of religion to promote 
the works of so able a divine, than it is that of atheism and 
irreligion to oppose them ; and if all good men would 
shew as much zeal in the defence of them and their \ 
author, and be as industrious to recommend both his writ- 
ings and example, as atheists and libertines are to obstruct 
the influence of both, this would still be another addition 
to the glory of so great a name ; and the good e 
might hope for, on the lives of men, from such exce 
books, dispersed into many hands, would be at once the 



1?0 PREFACE. 

best attestation that could be given to the wondrous bene- 
fit and usefulness of them, and also the effectual means to 
stop the mouths of gainsay ers, by lessening the number of 
them daily, and bringing them over from infidelity and 
atheism, to the cause of God and religion. 

And I cannot close this preface better, than with earnest 
prayers to God, that this and all other works of bishop 
Beveridge may have that blessed effect ; and that in return 
to all the malice of those, who seem to envy us the great 
good we may hope for from such pious and instructive dis- 
courses, they may by degrees instil, even into their breasts, 
some of that spirit of piety, diffused through every page ; 
and of atheists and libertines, make them sober men, and 
Christians, 



THOUGHTS 



UPON 



CHRISTIAN EDUCATION. 



IF the principles of the Christian religion were well root- 
ed in the hearts of all mankind, what excellent fruit 
would they produce! the earth would put on another 
face, bearing some resemblance to heaven itself: idolatry, 
with all sorts of wickedness and vice, would be every 
where discountenanced and suppressed ; for all would 
worship the one living and true God, and him only : there 
would be no more wars, nor rumours of wars ; kingdom 
would not rise against kingdom, nor nation against na- 
tion, but all princes would be at peace with their neigh- 
bours, and their subjects at unity among themselves, striv- 
ing about nothing but who should serve God best, and do 
most good in the world. Then piety and justice, and cha- 
rity, would revive and flourish again all the world over, 
and particularly in the church and kingdom to which we 
belong. Then the prayers would be read twice a day in 
every parish as the law requires, and all people would 
heartily join together in offering them up to the almighty 
Creator of the world. Then all that are of riper years 
would, at least, every Lord's day, celebrate the memory 
of the death of Christ, by which their sins are expiated, 
and the most high God reconciled to them, and become 
their God and Father : and as all sorts of people would 
thus continually worship God in his own house, so where- 
soever they are, they would do all they could to serve and 
honour him ; whether they eat or drink, or ivhatsoever they 
do, they would do all to his glory. And as for their fellow- 
servants, they would all love as brethren, and every one 
seek another's good as well as their own : Whatsoever they 
would that men should do to them, they would do the same 
to all other men. In short, all would then deny ungodlU 

H 2 



17^ THOUGHTS UPON CHRISTIAN EDUCATION* 

ness and worldly lusts, and live soberly, righteously, and god* 
ly in this present world, and sp walk hand in hand toge- 
ther in the narrow way that leads to everlasting life. This 
would be the happy state of all mankind, if they were but 
well grounded in that religion which the eternal Son of 
God hath planted upon earth. 

But not to speak of other people, we of this nation rare- * 
ly find any such effect of this religion among ourselves ; 
though it be as generally professed, and as clearly, taught 
among us, as ever it was in any nation, there are but few 
that are ever the better for it ; the most being here also as 
bad both in their principles and practices, as they which 
live in the darkest corners of the earth, where the light of 
the gospel never yet shined : though the kingdom in ge- 
neral be Christian, there are many Heathens in it, people 
that never were christened ; many that were once christ- 
ened, and are now turned Heathens again, living as with" 
out God in the world : many that would still be thought 
Christians, and yet have apostatized so far as to lay aside 
both the sacraments which Christ ordained, and every 
thing else that can shew them to be so : many that privily 
bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that, 
bought them, and so bring upon themselves swift destruc- 
tion : many that follow their pernicious ways, by reason 
of whom the way of truth is evil-spoken of, and through co~ 
vetousness, with feigned words, make merchandise of 'men, as 
St. Peter foretold, 2 Peter ii. 1, 2, 3. Many who will not 
endure sound doctrine, but %fter their own lusts heap to them- 
selves teachers, Iiaving itching ears ; and so fulfil the pro- 
phecy of St. Paul, 2 Tim. iv. 3. And of those who still 
continue in the communion of the church, and in the out- 
ward profession of the true Christian faith, There are ma-* 
ny, who although they profess to know God, yet in works 
they deny him, being abominable and disobedient, and to 
every good work reprobate, Titus i. 16. Many did I say? 
I wish I could not say almost all : but alas ! it is too plain 
to be denied. 

For, of that vast company of people that are called 
Christians in this kingdom, how few are they that live as 
becometh the gospel of Christ ? that finish the work that 
God has given them to do, even glorify him in the world? 
How many that refuse or neglect to worship and serve him 
iipon his own day ? Plow few that do it upon any other 
day, when they have any thing else to do ? How many 
that never receive the sacrament of the Lord's supper in 



THOUGHTS UPON CHRISTIAN EDUCATION. i?3 

their whole lives ? How few that receive it above two or 
three times in the year, how often soever they are invited 
to it ? How many are the proud, the passionate, the co- 
vetous, the intemperate, the incontinent, the unjust, the 
profane and impious, in comparison of the humble and 
meek, and liberal, and sober and modest, and righteous, 
and holy among us ? The disproportion is so vastly great, 
that none but God himself can make the comparison : so 
little of Christianity is now to be found among Christians 
themselves ; to our shame be it spoken. 

It is indeed a matter of so much shame as well as grie£ 
to all that have any regard for the honour of Christ their 
Saviour, that they cannot but be very solicitous to know 
how it comes to pass that his doctrine and precepts are so 
generally slighted and neglected as they are in our days ? 
and how they may be observed better for the future than 
now they are ? both which questions may be easily re- 
solved ; for we cannot wonder that of the many which 
profess the Christian religion, there are so few that live 
up to it, when we consider how few are duly instructed in 
the first principles of it. 

The religion which Christ hath revealed to the world, is 
by his grace and blessing, settled and established among 
us, so as to be made the religion of the kingdom in gene- 
ral : and therefore all that are born in it, are, or ought to 
be, according to his order or institution, soon after bap- 
tized, and so made his disciples, or Christians by profes- 
sion. And the church takes security of those who thus 
bring a child to be baptized,, that when it comes to be ca- 
pable of it, it shall be instructed in the catechism which 
she for that purpose hath set forth, containing all the prin- 
ciples of that religion into which it was baptized. But 
notwithstanding this hath been neglected for many years, 
whereby it is come to pass that the far greatest part of the 
people in this kingdom know little or nothing of the reli- 
gion they profess, but only to profess it as the religion of 
the country where they live ; they may perhaps be very 
zealous for it, as all people are for the religion in which 
they are born and bred, but take no care to frame their 
lives according to it, because they were never rightly in- 
formed about it ; or, at least, not soon enough, before er- 
ror or sin hath got possession of them, which one or other 
of them commonly doth before they are aware of it ; for 
they are always as children tossed to and fro, and carried 
about with every mind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and 

H 3 



174? THOUGHTS UPON CHRISTIAN EDUCATION. 

canning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive, Eph. 
iv. 14. And whatsoever sin gets dominion over them, 
there it reigns and domineers in their mortal bodies, so 
that they obey it in the lusts thereof, in the spite of all 
that can be said to them out of God's own word ; for they 
are no way edified by any thing they hear, in that the 
foundation is not first laid, upon which they should build 
up themselves in that most holy faith that is preached to 
them. The word they hear, is a seed that Jails by the way- 
side, or upon a rock, or else among thorns, and so never 
comes to perfection ; their hearts not being prepared before- 
hand and rightly disposed for it, by having the principles 
of the doctrine of Christ first infused into them. 

This therefore being the great cause of that shameful 
decay of the Christian religion that is so visible among us, 
we can never expect to see it repaired, unless the great 
duty of catechising be revived, and the laws that are made 
about it, be strictly observed all the kingdom over ; as 
most certainly they ought to be, not only as they are the 
laws both of the church and state under which we live, 
but likewise for that they are grounded upon the word of 
God himself, who expressly commands the same thing by 
his apostle, saying, Fathers, provoke not your children to 
wrath, but bring them up in the nurture and admonition qf 
the Lord, 

For here by nurture, we are to understand, as the 
Greek word paideia signifies, that discipline which parents 
ought to exercise over their children, to prevent their fall- 
ing into, or continuing in any wicked course. And by 
the admonition of the Lord, is meant the catechising, or 
putting them in mind of the Lord Jesus Christ, and of 
what he would have them believe and do that they may be 
saved. For the original word, noidhesia, which we tran- 
slate admonition, properly signifies catechising. (Catechu 
sein Nouthetein, Hesych.) And therefore to catechise or 
instruct children in the knowledge of God and our Lord 
Jesus Christ, is a duty here laid upon all parents by al- 
mighty God himself; and all that neglect to educate or 
bring up their children in the admonition of the Lord, by 
catechising or teaching them the principles of his religion, 
they all live in a breach of plain law, a law made by the 
supreme Lawgiver of the world, and must accordingly 
answer for it at the last day. 

Wherefore all that are sensible of the great account 
which they must give of all their actions, at that time, to 



THOUGHTS UPON CHRISTIAN EDUCATION. 1?S 

the Judge of the whole world, cannot but make as much 
conscience of this as of any duty whatsoever, so as to use 
the utmost of their care and diligence, that their children 
may grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord 
and Saviour Jesus Christ, and so be wise unto salvation. 
Neither is this any hard matter for those to do, who live in 
the communion of the church, having such a catechism or 
summary of the Christian religion drawn up to their hands, 
which is easy both for parents to teach, and for children to 
learn : and yet so full and comprehensive, that it contains 
all things necessary for any man to know in order to his 
being saved. As you may clearly see if you do but cast 
your eye upon the methods and contents of it ; which may 
be all reduced to these five heads, the baptismal vow, the 
apostles* creed, the ten commandments, the Lord's prayer, and 
the doctrine of the sacraments ordained by our Lord Christ. 

It begins where a child begins to be a Christian, and 
therefore hath a Christian name given him, even at his 
baptism, wherein he was made a member of Christ, a child 
of God, and an inheritor of the kingdom of heaven. Which 
great privileges belong to all that are baptized, and to 
none else ; none else being in the number of Christ's dis* 
ciples ; for our Lord Christ, a little before his ascension 
into heaven, left orders with his apostles, and in them 
with all that should succeed in his ministry of the church 
to the end of the world, to make all nations lus disciples, 
by baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy 
Ghost, as the original words plainly import, Matt, xxviii. 
19. And therefore as people of all nations are capable of 
being made his disciples ; so none now are, or ever can be 
made so any other way, than by being baptized according 
to his order. But they who are not thus made his disci- 
ples by being baptized unto him, are not the members 
of Christ ; and if they be not the members of Christ, 
they cannot be the children of God, nor have any right 
to the kingdom of heaven, that being promised only 
to such as believe and are baptized, Mark xvi. 16. And 
our Saviour himself elsewhere also saith, That except a 
man be bom again of water, and of the Spirit, he cannot en- 
ter into the kingdom of God, John iii. 5. Whereby we may 
perceive the great necessity of this sacrament, where it 
may be had, as our church observes, in her office for the 
ministration of it, to such as are of riper years. 

It is to be farther observed, that when our Saviour or- 
dained baptism to be the means of admitting persons into 

H 4 



1?6' THOUGHTS UPON CHRISTIAN EDUCATION. 

his church, or the congregation of his disciples, lest we should 
think, as some have done, that lie meant it only of those 
who are of riper years, he used the most general terms that 
could be invented, requiring that all nations should be 
baptized ; and if all nations, then children also, which 
are a great, if not the greatest part of every nation. And 
accordingly his church hath always baptized children as 
well as adult persons : when any who are come to years of 
discretion, were willing and desirous to become Christ's 
disciples, that they might learn of him the way to heaven, 
they were made so by being baptized ; and if they had 
children, they were also baptized at the same time with 
their parents ; and so were the children which were after- 
wards born to them ; they also were baptized soon after 
they were born : and that it is our Saviour's pleasure that 
children also should be brought into his church, appears 
likewise in that when his disciples rebuked those who 
brought children unto him, he was much displeased, and 
said unto them, suffer the little children to come unto ?p: } and 
Jbi'bid them not, for of such is the kingdom of God, Mark x. 14. 

But seeing they who are thus baptized according to the 
institution of Christ are thereby made his disciples, and in 
him the children of God, it is necessary they should then 
promise to believe and live from that time forward, ac- 
cording as he hath commanded ; which promise therefore 
all that are grown up always use to make every one in his 
own person, and for that purpose were and ought to be 
catechised beforehand, and put in mind of what they were 
to promise when they were baptized ; and therefore were 
called Catechumens. But children not being capable of 
making any such promise themselves, in their own per- 
sons, they were always admitted, and required to do it by 
their guardians, that is, by their godfathers and godmo- 
thers, which brought and offered them to be baptized ; 
and are therefore obliged to take care that they be after- 
wards catechised or instructed in the principles of that re- 
ligion into which they were admitted, and put in mind of 
the promise which they then made of framing their lives 
according to it. 

This promise, therefore, which children make at their 
baptism by their sureties, and which is implied in the very 
cc of the sacrament, whether they have any sureties 
or no, consists of three general heads : 

First, That they will renounce the devil, and all his works. 



THOUGHTS UPON CHRISTIAN EDUCATION. 177 

the pomps and vanities of this wicked world, and all the sin* 
ful lusts of the flesh. 

Secondly,, That they will believe all the articles qf the 
Christian faith. 

Thirdly, That they will keep God's holy will and command* 
ments, and walk in the same all the days of their life. 

Which three things, under which the whole substance 
of the Christian religion is contained, being all promised 
by children when they are baptized into it, it is absolutely 
necessary that they be afterwards put in mind, so soon as 
they are capable of the promise, which they then made, 
and of the obligation which lies upon them to perform it ; 
for otherwise it can never be expected that they should ei-* 
ther do, or so much as know it ; whereas the instructing 
them in this, the first part of the catechism, we prepare 
and dispose them for the understanding all the rest. 

Particularly the apostles' creed, which is next taught 
them, containing all those articles of the Christian faith, 
which they promised to believe, and nothing else, nothing 
but what is grounded upon plain texts of scripture, and 
hath always been believed by the whole catholic church in 
all ages and places all the world over : here are none of 
those private opinions and controverted points which have 
so long disturbed the church, and serve only to perplex 
men's minds, and take them off from the more substantial 
and necessary duties of religion, as we have found by woe*« 
ful experience, which our church hath taken all possible 
care to prevent, by inserting no other articles of faith into 
the catechism which her members are to learn, than what 
are contained in this creed received and approved of by the 
whole Christian world; and then acquainting them what 
they chiefly learn in it, even to believe in God the Father 3 
God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost, in whose name they 
were christened, and therefore must continue in this faith^ 
or cease to be Christians. 

The other thing which they, who are baptized, promise 
is, That they will keep God's commandments, which there- 
fore are next taught in the catechism, without any mix~ 
ture of human inventions or constitutions : those ten com*? 
mandments which the supreme Lawgiver himself pro^ 
claimed upon mount Sinai, and afterwards wrote with his 
own finger upon two tables of stone. These they are all 
bound to learn,, because they are bound to keep them all. 

U 5 ■ 



178 THOUGHTS UPON CHRISTIAN EDUCATfoN. 

as they will answer it at the last day, when all mankind 
shall be judged by them. 

But no man can keep these commandments without 
God's special grace, which we have no ground to expect 
without praying to him for it. And therefore children are 
in the next place taught how to pray according to that 
form which Christ himself composed, and commanded us to 
say, whensoever we pray, Luke xi. 2. And as he who 
believes all that is in the apostles' creed, believes all that he 
need believe, and he that keeps all the ten commandments, 
doth all that he need to do ; so he that prays this prayer 
aright, prays for all things which he can have need of: so 
that in this short catechism, which children of five years 
old may learn, they are taught all that is needfid for them, 
either to believe, or do, or pray for. 

The last part of the catechism is concerning the two sa- 
craments which Christ hath ordained in his church, as 
generally necessary to salvation ; that is to say, baptism and 
the Lord's supper : both which our church hath there ex- 
plained with such extraordinary prudence and caution, as 
to take in all that is necessary to be known of either of 
them, without touching upon any of the disputes that have 
been raised about them, to the great prejudice of the Chris- 
tian religion. 

Seeing therefore this catechism is so full, that it con- 
tains all that any man needs to know, and yet so short, 
that a child may learn it : I do not see how parents may 
bring up their children in the nurture and admonition of the 
Lord, better than by instructing them in it. I do not say 
by teaching them only to say it by rote, but by instruct- 
ing them in it, so that they may understand, as soon and 
as far as they are capable, the true sense and meaning of 
all the words and phrases in every part of it ; for which 
purpose it will be necessary to observe these rules. 

First, You must begin betime, before your children 
have got any ill habits, which may be easily prevented, but 
are not easily cured. When children are baptized, being 
born again of water > and of the Spirit, as the guilt of their 
original sin is washed away in the layer of regeneration, so 
that it will never be imputed to them, unless it break out 
afterwards in actual transgressions ; so they receive also 
the Spirit of God to prevent all such eruptions, by ena- 
bling them to resist the temptations of the world, the flesh, 
and, the devil, to believe and serve God according as they 
then promised ; so far at least, that sin shall not have do-* 



THOUGHTS UPON CHRISTIAN EDUCATION. 179 

minion over them, that they should obey it in the lusts thereof, 
seeing now they are not under the law, hut under the grace 
of Christ, Rom. vi. 12, 14. But that the seeds of grace 
which were then sown in their hearts, may not be lost, or 
stifled, but grow up to perfection, great care must be tak- 
en that they may be taught, so soon as they are capable to 
discern between good and evil, to avoid the evil and do the 
good, and to believe and live as they promised, when they 
were endued with grace to do it. Hast thou children ? saith 
the son of Sirach, instruct them, and bow dwvn their neck 
from their youth, Eccl. viii. 23. Give thy son no liberty in 
his youth, nor wink not at his follies. Bow down his neck 
while he is young, and beat him on the sides while he is a 
child, lest he wax stubborn and be disobedient unto thee, and 
so bring sorro-iv to thine heart, chap. xxx. 11, 12. Whereas 
he that gathereth instruction from his youth, shall find wis*? 
dom till his old age, chap. vi. IS. According to that of the 
wise man, Train up a child in the way that he should go, 
and when he is old he will not depart from it, Prov. xxii. 6. 
As Timothy from a child had known the holy scriptures ■, 
2 Tim. iii. 15. And that was the reason that he was so ex^ 
pert in them when he became a man : which therefore that 
your children may also be, the first thing they learn must 
be their catechism, where they are taught all the great 
truths and duties that are revealed in the holy scripture, as 
necessary to salvation. 

But how can such persons do this, that cannot read nor 
say the catechism themselves ? This, I fear, is the case of 
too many among us. There are many who having not 
been taught to read when they were young, neglect or 
scorn to learn it afterwards, and so lose all the benefit and 
comfort which they might receive by reading the holy 
scriptures : but this, I confess, is not so necessary, especi- 
ally in our church, where the holy scriptures are so con- 
stantly read in public, that if people would as constantly 
come and hearken to them, they might be wise unto sal- 
vation, although they cannot read ; as few heretofore 
could, at least in the primitive times, when notwithstand- 
ing they attained to the knowledge of God, and of their 
duty to him, as well as if they load been the greatest scho- 
lars in the world. But then considering that they coulct 
not read, they supplied that defect by attending more dili- 
gently to what they heard out of God's holy word, and 
laying it up in their hearts, so that they understood all the 
principles of the Christian religion, and were able to in* 

H 6 



180 THOUGHTS UPON CHRISTIAN EDUCATION. 

struct their .children in the same as well as if they could 
read. But this is not our case ; for now there are many 
who can neither read, nor so much as say the catechism, 
having never learned it themselves, and therefore cannot 
possibly teach it their children. Such as the apostle speaks 
of, who when, for the time, they ought to be teachers, they 
have need that one teach them again, which be the first prin- 
ciples of the oracles of God, and are become such as have 
need of milk, and not of strong meat, Heb. v. 12. And 
what must such do ? They certainly, as they tender their 
own good, must be doubly diligent in the use of all means 
that may tend to their edification and instruction ; as they 
desire the good of their children, they must send them to 
school, or provide some other person to teach them ; 
which if the parents neglect to do, the godfathers and 
godmothers of every child should put them in mind of it, 
and see that the child be taught, so soon as he is able to 
learn, what a solemn vow, promise, or profession, he 
made by them at his baptism. And, that he may know 
these things the better, they must call upon him to hear 
sermons ; and chiefly they must provide that he may learn 
the creed, the Lord's prayer, and the ten commandments 
in the vulgar tongue, and all other things which a Chris- 
tian ought to know and believe to his soul's health, as they 
are contained in the church catechism, and then to bring 
them to the bishop to be confirmed by him. 

But for that purpose, when children have been taught 
the catechism, they must be sent to the minister or curate 
of the parish where they live, that he may examine and 
instruct them in it : examine them whether they can say 
it, and instruct them so as to understand it. For though 
the words be all as plain as they can well be made, yet the 
things signified by those words, are many of them so high, 
that it cannot be expected that children should reach and 
apprehend them without help, which therefore they must 
go to their minister for, whose duty and office it is to ac- 
quaint them with the full sense and meaning of every word, 
what is signified by it, and what ground they have to be- 
lieve it is God's holy word. But to do this to any purpose, 
requires more time than is commonly allowed for it in our 
days. And that is one great reason they are so few among 
us that are built up as they ought to be, in their most holy 
faith. Many refuse or neglect to send their children to be 
catechised at all : and they who send them, send them so 
little, and for so little a time, that it is impossible they 



THOUGHTS UPON CHRISTIAN EDUCATION. 181 

should.be much the better for it; as many have found by 
experience ; who although in their childhood they were 
taught the catechism, and could say it readily, yet having 
not been sufficiently instructed in it, they afterwards for- 
got it again, and know no more than if they had never 
learned it. I wish this be not the case of too many parents : 
wherefore, that this great work may be done effectually, 
so as to answer its end, as children should begin as soon 
as ever they are able to learn the catechism, and go on by 
degrees till they can say it perfectly by heart ; so when 
they can do that, they are still to continue to be instructed 
in it all along, till they understand it so well, as to be fit 
to receive the sacrament of the Lord's supper, which usu- 
ally may be about sixteen or seventeen years of age, more 
or less, according to their several capacities. By this 
means, as they grow in years, they would grow also in 
grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus 
Christ, 2 Pet. iii. 1 8. This likewise would be a great en- 
couragement to the minister to take pains with them, when 
they are such as can understand what he saith to them, 
and will continue under his care and conduct until they 
are settled and grounded in the faith, and have their senses 
exercised to discern between good and evil ; and so shall 
be every way qualified to serve God, and do their duty to 
him in that state of life to which he shall be pleased after- 
wards to call them, upon earth, and then to go to heaven. 

If this could once be brought about throughout the king- 
dom, that all children that are born and bred up in it, 
were thus fully instructed in the knowledge of Christ, and 
of that religion which he hath revealed to the world, till 
they are fit for the holy communion, and ready to engage 
in the affairs of the world, the next generation would be 
"much better than this, and Christianity would then begin 
to flourish again, and appear in its native beauty and lus- 
tre. And verily, whatsoever some may think, such espe- 
cially as were never catechised themselves, this is as great 
and necessary a duty as any that is required in all the Bi- 
ble. For God himself by his apostle expressly commands 
all parents to bring up their children in the nurture and ad- 
monition of the Lord ; that is, as I have shewed, to cate- 
chise or instruct them in the principles of the doctrine of 
our Lord Christ. And therefore they who do it not, live 
in the breach of a known law, yea, of many laws. There 
being many places in God's holy word, where the same 
thing is commanded in other terms by almighty God him- 



182 THOUGHTS UPON CHRISTIAN EDUCATION. 

self, saying, These words which I command ihee this day, 
shall be in thy heart, and thou shall teach them diligently to 
thy children, Deut. vi. 7. And again, Therefore shall ye 
laij up these words in your heart, and in your soul, and bind 
them for a sign upon your head, that they may be as frontlets 
between your eyes, and ye shall teach them your children, 
chap. xi. 18, 19. so also, chap. iv. 10. This is that which 
he commands also by the wise man, Train up a child in 
the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart 
from it, Prov. xxii. 6. The word in the original which 
we translate, train up, signifies also to dedicate or devote 
a child to the service of God, by instructing him how to 
do it, and exercising him continually in it ; and therefore, 
in the margin of our Bibles, it is translated catechise a 
child ; so that we have here both the necessity and useful- 
ness of this duty : the necessity, in that it is commanded 
to train up, or catechise a child in the ways of God : and 
the usefulness, in that what a child is thus taught, will re- 
main with him all his life long. 

Seeing therefore that God hath laid so strict a command 
upon all parents, to bring up their children in the know- 
ledge of himself, and of their duty to him, they can ex- 
pect no other, but that he should take particular notice 
whether they do it or not; and reward or punish them ac- 
cordingly. As we see in Abraham, what a special kind- 
ness hath God for him on this account ? Shall I hide from 
him, saith the Lord, that thing which I do? Sceifig that 
Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and 
all the nations upon earth shall be blessed in him. But why 
had he such an extraordinary favour for Abraham above 
all other men ? God himself gives us the reason, saving : 
For I know that he will command his children and his house* 
hold after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, Gen, 
xviii. 19. This was the reason that Abraham was so 
much in favour, that he was called the friend of God, Jam, 
ii. 23. 

And how much God is displeased with parents neglect- 
ing to bring up their children in his true faith and fear, 
and suffering them to grow up and go on in a course of 
vice and profaneness, appears sufficiently from that severe 
judgment which he inflicted upon Eli and his whole house 
for it, sayings to Samuel, For I have told him, even Eli, 
that I will judge his house for ever, for the iniquity, which 
he knowetk, because his sons made themselves vile, and he re~ 
strained them not. And therefore I have sworn to the house 



THOUGHTS UPON CHRISTIAN EDUCATION. 183 

of Eli, That the iniquity of Eli's house, shall not be purged 
with sacrifice nor offering for ever, 1 Sam. iii. 13, 14. 
The execution of which dreadful judgment is left upon re- 
cord in the holy scripture, as a standing monument and 
caution to all parents, to take heed how they educate their 
children. 

Be sure the saints of God in all ages have taken as much 
care to bring up their children well, as to live well them- 
selves ; making as much conscience of this, as of any duty 
whatsoever which they owe to God. That the children 
which he hath given them, may answer his end in giving 
them ; that they may not be insignificant ciphers in the 
world, or as fruitless trees that serve only to cumber the 
ground ; but that they may serve and glorify God whilst 
they are upon the earth, so as to be meet to be partakers of 
the inheritance of the saints in light. 

And verily all parents would make this then continual 
care and study, if they minded either their own or their 
children's good. Many complain, not without cause, that 
their children are disobedient and undutiful to them ; but 
the cause is chiefly in themselves. When they have neg- 
lected their duty to their children, how can they expect 
their children should perform their duty to them ? They 
were never taught it, how can they do it ? If therefore they 
prove stubborn and obstinate, if they give themselves up 
to all manner of vice and wickedness ; if instead of com- 
fort they be a grief and trouble to their parents, their pa- 
rents must blame themselves for it : and when they come 
to reflect upon it, their sin in neglecting their duty to God 
and their children in their education, will be a greater 
trouble to them than any their children can give them. 
Whereas when parents bring up their children in the ?iur- 
ture and admonition of the Lord, if their children notwith- 
standing happen to miscarry afterwards, they have this 
to comfort them, that they did their duty, and have no- 
thing to answer upon that account. 

But what a mighty advantage would it be to the cML 
dren themselves to be thus continually put in mind of their 
baptismal vow, the articles of our faith, the duties of reli- 
gion, and what else is contained in the catechism, from 
their childhood all along till they come to be men or wo- 
men ? Their minds would be then filled with such divine 
truths, and with so great a sense of their duty, that there 
would be no room left for heresy or sin to enter, at least 
not so as to get possession, and exercise any dominion 



ISif THOUGHTS UPON CHRISTIAN EDUCATION. 

there. The first impressions that are made upon us are 
not soon worn out, but usually remain as long as we live. 
As the wise man observes, Train up a child in the way he 
should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it, Prov. 
xxii. 6. When one hath been all along from his childhood 
brought up in the knowledge of God, and his holy will, 
it will stick by him so, as to be a constant check upon 
him, to keep him within the compass of his duty in all or- 
dinary cases ; and if any thing extraordinary happen to 
draw him aside, it will make him restless and uneasy, till 
he hath recovered himself, and got into the right way 
again ; and so it will either keep him innocent, or make 
him penitent. In short, by the blessing of God attending, 
as it usually doth, this great duty when it is conscientious- 
ly performed, is the best means that parents can use, 
whereby to breed up their children for heaven, to make 
them fellow-citizens with saints, and of the household of 
God, both in this world and for ever. 

Wherefore if we have any regard either to our own or 
to our children's eternal welfare, let us set upon this duty 
in good earnest ; let us bring up our children so long in 
the nurture and admonition of the Lord, till they fully know 
him, and all that he would have them believe and do, that 
they may be saved. But we must be sure to teach them 
by our example as well as instructions ; we must not tell \ 
them one thing, and do another ourselves ; but shew them 
how to keep the faith and laws of God, by keeping them 
ourselves before their eyes, all the while we live together 
upon earth : that when we are all got one after another, 
out of this troublesome and naughty world, we and our 
children may at last meet together in heaven, and there 
praise and glorify almighty God, we for them, and they 
for us, and all for his grace and truth in Jesus Christ our 
Lord. 

After this general instruction in the principles of our 
holy religion, it will be necessary, as soon as our young 
Christian is capable of it, to inform him more particularly 
in the nature of God, and the great mystery of the Trini- 
ty, unto which we are all baptized, which therefore shall 
be my next subject. 



THOUGHTS UPON THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD. L85 

THOUGHTS UPON THE KNOWLEDGE 
OF GOD. 

THOUGH religion in general be a thing that all men 
naturally agree in, yet there is nothing, I think, that 
men differ so much about, as about the particular acts and , 
exercise of it : for all nations in the world have some reli- 
gion ; but there are scarce two amongst them all that have 
the same, yea, in one and the same nation too there are 
divers modes of religion professed and practised. No na- 
tion or country in the world, but will afford us instances 
of this ; and our own, I think, as many as any other what- 
soever. For could we but cast our eyes into the several 
corners of this land, at this very moment, what variety 
might we observe in those acts which the several parties 
amongst us account to be religious ! Some we should see 
sitting silently for a while together, without either speak- 
ing, or hearing a word spoken, until at length up starts a 
man or a woman, or some such thing, and entertains them 
with a discourse made up of censure and malice, blasphe- 
my and nonsense ; and this is all the religion they pre- 
tend to. Others we shoidd find crowded together in se- 
veral corners, sometimes praying, sometimes discoursing 
as it were, sometimes arguing the case with almighty 
God, and acquainting him with what happens in the 
world, and that with as much confidence and malapert- 
ness, as if he w r as their fellow-creature, and then very 
gravely walk home and please themselves with a vain con- 
ceit that they are more religious than their neighbours. 
Another sort of people there are amongst us, who are as 
superstitious as the former were slovenly and irreverent in 
their devotions : for these having been sprinkled with a 
little holy water, and performed then* obeisance to a cruci- 
fix or picture, presently fall a pattering over Ave Maria's 
and Pater Nosters to themselves, as fast as they can ; 
whilst the priest in the mean while says something too, but 
the people generally do not know what it is, nor indeed 
what themselves say, it being all in an unknown tongue. 
But howsoever, though they know not what they say, 
they think that God doth, and therefore satisfy themselves 
that they have said something, though they know not 
what, and think that God is well pleased with what they 
have done, because themselves are so. 



186 THOUGHTS UPON THE 

Others there are, and by the blessing of God, far more 
than all the rest, in this nation, who present themselves 
before the great Creator and possessor of the world, in that 
solemn and reverent manner as the constitutions of our 
church direct, humbly confessing their manifold sins 
against God, begging mercy and pardon from him, im- 
ploring his favour, and praising his name for all the ex* 
pressions of his undeserved love to mankind : and all this 
in our vulgar tongue, that we all understand, and so per- 
form a reasonable service unto God. 

And verily, if we consider the institution itself, of that 
religious worship which we thus perform, it is certainly 
the best that ever was prescribed by any church, as being 
most consonant to the general rules of devotion laid down 
in the scriptures ; as also most conformable to the disci- 
pline and practice of the primitive church. But we must 
not think that we serve God aright, because we be present 
with them that do so. I do not doubt but that there are 
many amongst us who sincerely endeavour to worship 
God, whensoever they present themselves before him in 
public, I wish that all of us would do so. But we must 
still remember, that we should serve the Lord elsewhere 
as well as at church, and on other days as well as upon 
the -Lord's day. And that if we would be truly religious, 
our whole man must be devoted to the service of God, yea, 
and our whole time too. We must not think that it is enough 
to do something, but we must do all things that are re- 
quired of us ; w^hich notwithstanding we can never do, un- 
less we know both that God whom we ought to serve, and 
that service which we ought to perform unto him. And 
therefore David directs his son to the right and only way 
to true religion, saying, 1 Chron. xxviii. 9. " And thou, 
Solomon, my son, know thou the God of thy fathers, and 
serve him with a perfect heart and a willing mind :" which 
words, did we apply them to ourselves, would, by the 
blessing of God, put us upon sincere endeavours after real 
and universal obedience to all the commands of God, and 
persuade us not to content ourselves with vain pretences 
to, and professions of religion, as most do ; but strive to 
live up unto our profession, and carry and behave our- 
selves so as becometh those who desire to be religious, and 
to serve God in good earnest ; which that we may do, let 
us observe the rule and method which David here pre- 
scribes to his son ; first, to know God, and then to servs 
Mm with a perfect heart and a willing mind. 






KNOWLEDGE OF GOD. 187 

I shall not trouble the reader with any critical division 
of the words, for they naturally divide themselves into two 
parts. 

First, That we should know, and then that we should 
serve God with a perfect heart, and with a willing mind, 

I shall begin with the first, not only because it is first 
placed, but because it necessarily must precede the se- 
cond ; it being impossible for us to serve God aright un- 
less we knew him : for without this, all our services w T ill 
be but like the altar which the Athenians dedicated, To the 
unknown God. By which inscription they manifested to the 
world, that they knew that they ought to serve some God, 
but they knew not that God whom they ought to serve. But 
that we may so know him as to serve him aright, I shall 
first shew what it is of God which we must know in order 
to our serving him aright. 

First, Therefore he that w r ould serve God aright, must 
believe and know that he is, Heb. xi. 6. that is, that there 
is such a supreme and all-glorious Being in and over the 
world that we call God, that made, preserves, governs, 
and disposes of every thing in the world, as seemeth best 
to him ; and that it is not only probable, that there is such 
a one, but that it is the most certain and necessary truth 
in the world ; without which there would be no such thing 
as truth or certainty. For, indeed, if God was not, no- 
thing could be, he alone being the basis and foundation of 
all being in the world, yea, and of all motion too, Acts 
xvii. 28. And therefore, every thing that lives, every thing 
that moves, nay, every thing that is, argues God to be ; 
which therefore is the first great truth, upon which all the 
rest depend ; without which nothing would be true, much 
less would our services be so : so that the first thing to be 
done in order to our serving God, is to know, and believe 
that he is, and that he ought to be served and adored by 
us. 

Secondly, It is necessary to know his essence too, as well 
as his existence ; what, as well as that he is ; what he is 
in himself, and what he is to us ; that in himself he is, in 
and of himself, the source of his wisdom, the abyss of all 
power, the ocean of all goodness, the fountain of all hap* 
piness, the principle of all motion, and the centre, yea, 
perfection of all perfections in the world ; whose nature or 
essence is so pure, so glorious, so immense, so infinite, so 
eternal, so every way perfect, transcendent, and incom- 
prehensible, that the more we think of him, the more w@ 



188 THOUGHTS UPON" THE 

contemplate upon him, the more we praise and admire 
him, the more we may. And the highest apprehensions that 
we can have of him, is still to apprehend him infinitely 
higher than all our apprehensions of him. And there- 
fore, that man best knows God, that knows him to be be- 
yond his knowledge, and that knows he can never know 
him enough. 

But we must know too what he is to us, even the author 
and giver of every good thing we have, and who in him- 
self is whatsoever we can desire to make us happy ; and 
therefore it is, that in the covenant of grace, when he 
would assure as that we shall have all things that we can 
enjoy, he only promises to be our God, Heb. viii. 10. 
which is as much as we can desire, and indeed as himself 
can promise ; for in promising himself, he hath promised 
whatsoever he is, whatsoever he hath, whatsoever he 
doth, nay, whatsoever he can do, as God. And thus are 
we to look upon God as the only object of all true happi- 
ness, and the only centre wherein all the desires and in- 
clinations of our souls can rest. 

Thirdly, It is necessary also to know the several attri- 
butes and perfections which he hath revealed of himself, in 
scripture ; that he is so wise to know whatsoever can be 
known ; so powerful as to do whatsoever can be done ; so 
great and glorious in himself, that we have all just cause 
to fear him ; so kind and gracious in his Son, that it is our 
duty also to trust in him ; so true, that whatsoever he says 
is true, because he saith it ; so good, that whatsoever he 
doth is good, because he doth it ; so just, as to punish 
every sin that is committed, and yet so merciful as to par- 
don every sinner that repenteth ; that he is pure without 
mixture, infinite without bounds, eternal without begin- 
ning, everlasting without end, and every way perfect 
without comparison. 

Fourthly, We must know also the works of God, what 
he hath done, wherein he hath manifested himself to us. 
But what hath God done ? Or rather, what hath he not 
done ? It was he that raised this stately fabric of the world 
we live in, out of the womb of nothing. It was he that 
extracted light out of darkness, beaut}' and perfection out 
of a confused chaos. It was he that bedecked the glori- 
ous canopy of heaven with those glistering spangles, the 
stars. It was he that commanded the sun to run its course 
by day, and the moon to ride her circuit by night about 
the world, to shew the inhabitants thereof the glory of 



KNOWLEDGE OF GOD. 189 

their all-glorious Maker. It was he that hung the earth 
upon nothing, and spread upon the surface of it a curious 
carpet, embroidered with all manner, not of painted, but 
real flowers, and plants and trees. It was he that first 
produced all things out of nothing ; and it is he that still 
preserves all things in their being. It is he that ordereth 
the affairs of kingdoms, manageth the intrigues of state, di- 
recteth the events of wars, and disposes of every particu- 
lar person as himself sees good. In a word, whatsoever 
was ever made in heaven above or in earth beneath, it is he 
that made it ; and whatsoever is still done in heaven above, 
ox in earth beneath, it is he that doth it; so that nothing 
ever was, or is, or ever will be, or can be done, but what 
is done by him, as the first and universal cause of all 
things. 

Fifthly, It is necessary also to know, so as to believe, 
that though there is but one God, yet there are three per- 
sons, all and every one of which is that one God. I do 
not say it is necessary to understand or comprehend this 
mystery, for that we cannot do ; but we are not therefore 
the less to believe it, because we cannot understand it : for 
there are many other things in divinity ; yea, many things 
in natural philosophy, and in geometry itself, which we 
cannot understand, and yet for all that, both know and 
believe them to be true. But how much more cause have 
we to believe this, which God himself hath asserted of 
himself? nay, and besides that, we have the same obli- 
gations to serve and honour every person, as we have to 
serve and honour any one person in the sacred Trinity ; 
our Saviour himself hath expressly told us, That all men 
should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father, John 
xxv. 23. But that we cannot do, unless we believe the 
Son to be God as well the Father ; and by consequence, 
unless we acknowledge this fundamental article of our 
Christian faith, into which we were all baptized. 

Secondly, We must consider what kind of knowledge 
we ought to have of God, in reference to our serving him 
aright. 

For we must not think that it is enough to know in ge- 
neral that there is a God, and that he is wise and power- 
ful, great and glorious, true and faithful, good and gra- 
cious ; these things a man may know in general, so as to 
be able to discourse of them, and dispute for them too, 
and yet come short of that knowledge which is requisite 
to our true serving of God : which should be such a know- 



190 THOUGHTS UPON THE 

ledge as will not only swim in the brain, but sink down 
into the heart ; whereby a man is possessed with a due 
sense of those things he knows, so that he doth not only 
know, but in a manner feel them to be so. Thus David, 
who, in the text, calls upon his son to know the God ofliis 
fathers, intimates elsewhere what knowledge he means ; 
saying, Oh taste and see that the Lard is good, Psal. xxxiv. 
8. Where we may observe, how he requires our spiritual 
senses to be employed in our knowledge of God, so as to 
see that he is good, yea; and taste it too ; that is, feel and 
experience it in ourselves ; which though it may seem a 
paradox to many of us, yet there is none of us, but may 
find it to be a real truth, and attain unto it, if we be but 
careful and constant in our meditations upon God, and 
sincere in performing our devotions to him, for by these 
means our notions of God will be refined, our conceptions 
cleared, and our affections, by consequence, so moved to- 
wards him, that w r e shall taste and experience in ourselves, 
as well as know from others, that he is good, and that all 
perfections are concentered in him. 

But this practical and experimental knowledge of God 
doth necessarily presuppose the other, or the general know- 
ledge of him, so as to be acquainted with the several ex- 
pressions which God in scripture hath made use of, where- 
by to reveal himself and his perfections to us ; as when he 
is pleased to call himself the almighty God, the all- wise 
and infinite, the just and gracious God, and the like ; or 
to say of himself, / am that I am ; that is, in and of my- 
self eternal. Unless we first know that these and such like 
expressions belong to God, and what is the true meaning 
and purport of them, it is impossible for us to arrive at 
that knowledge of him, which is necessary to our serving 
him aright. 

And I am come to the last thing to be considered here 
concerning the knowledge of God, even that it is necessary 
to our serving him ; so that none can serve him that does 
not first know him, and therefore that the method, as well 
as matter of David's advice is here observable : Know thou 
the God of thy fathers, and serve him ; or, first know 
him, and then serve him with a perfect heart and a willing 
mind. 

And verily, one would think that this is a truth so clear, 
so evident of itself, that it needs no proof or demonstra- 
tion ; for how is it possible for us to know how to serve 
God, unless we first know that God whom we ought to 



KNOWLEDGE OF GOD. 1$1 

serve ? for all our services unto God should be both pro- 
per to his nature, and suitable to his perfections; and 
therefore, unless I first know his nature and perfections, 
how can I adjust my services to them? As for example, I 
am to fear his greatness, and trust on his mercy, and rejoice 
in his goodness, and desire his favour : but how can I do 
this, unless I know that he is thus great and merciful, good 
and favourable ? 

Moreover, as a man cannot serve God when he hath a 
mind to do it, so neither will he have a mind or heart to 
serve him unless he first knows him. For the motions of 
the will are always regulated by the ultimate dictates of 
the practical understanding ; so that a man chooses or re- 
fuses, loves or hates, desires or abhors, according as he 
knows any object that is presented to him to be good or 
evil. And therefore how can I choose God as my chiefest 
good, unless I first know him to be so ; or love him as 1 
ought, above all things, unless I first know him to be bet- 
ter than all things ; or perform any true service to him, un- 
less I first know him to be such a one, as deserves to have 
true service performed unto him ? 

Nay, lastly, nothing that we can do can be accepted as 
a service to God, unless it be both grounded upon, and di- 
rected by a right knowledge of him. God would not ac- 
cept of blind sacrifices under the law, much less will he 
accept of blind services now under the gospel ; and there- 
fore he expects and requires now, that whatsoever we do, 
either to or for him, be a Logike Latrela, a reasonable ser- 
vice, Rom. xii. 1. That our souls as well as bodies, yea, 
and the rational as well as sensitive part be employed in 
all the services which we perform to him ; which certain- 
ly cannot be, unless we first know him ; so that there is 
an indispensable connexion betwixt our knowing and 
serving God ; it being as impossible for any man to serve 
him, that doth not first know him, as it is to know him 
aright, and not to serve him. 

But however indispensable this connexion be in its own 
nature, the church of Rome can make a shift to dispense 
with it ; yea, so far as to assert that ignorance is the mo- 
ther of devotion. But you must excuse them, for they do 
not mean by devotion, as we do, the real serving of God, 
but only the performing of some outward services to him. 
And such a kind of devotion, I confess, ignorance may be 
the mother of: but a man must be grossly ignorant that 
thinks this to be devotion, which is but a piece of pagean- 



192 THOUGHTS UPON THE 

try, a mocking instead of serving God. And, for my 
part, I cannot but tremble to think what a dismal, what 
a dreadful account the heads of that church must hereafter 
give, for daring to keep the people in so much ignorance 
as they do ; so as to render them incapable of serving 
God, that so they may be the more ready to serve the 
church ; that is, the interests and designs of the court of 
Rome. 

But let them look to that ; whilst we, in the mean while 
study to know God before all things else, considering, 

First, God therefore made us that we might know him, 
and that we might know that he made us. And therefore 
it is that he hath made rational creatures capable of reflect- 
ing upon him that made us so ; neither did he only make 
us at first, but he still preserves us ; we feed daily at his 
table, and live upon his bounty. And the very beasts 
that any of us keep, know those that keep them ; and 
shall we be more brutish than brutes themselves, and not 
know him that keeps and maintains us ? Oh how justly 
may God than call heaven and earth to witness against 21s, 
as he did once against his people Israel, Isa. i. 2, 3, 4. 

Secondly, There is none of us but have attained to 
knowledge in other things : some of us have searched into 
arts and sciences, others are acquainted with several lan- 
guages ; none of us but are, or would be expert in the affairs 
of this world, and understand the mysteries of our several 
trades and callings ; what, and shall he alone, by whom 
we know other things, be himself unknown to us ? What 
is, if this be not, a just cause, wherefore God should infa- 
tuate and deprive us of all our knowledge in other things ? 
seeing we labour more to know them, than him from whom 
we receive our knowledge. 

Thirdly, Ignorance of God, is itself one of the greatest 
sins that we can be guilty of, and w T hich God is most an- 
gry for, Hos. iv. 4 f And there God himself imputes the 
destruction of his people, to the want of knowledge, ver. 6. 
Nay, and it is that sin too that makes way for all the rest. 
For what is the reason that many so frequently blaspheme 
God's name, slight his service, transgress his laws, and in- 
cense his wrath against them, but merely because they do 
not know him, how great, how terrible a God he is ? For 
did they but thus rightly know him, they could not but 
regard the thoughts of doing any thing that is offensive to 
him ; and therefore the true knowledge of God would be the 



KNOWLEDGE OP GOD. 1^3 

best security, and the most sovereign antidote in the world 
against the infection of sin, and the prevalency of tempta- 
tions over us ; neither would it only preserve us from sin, 
but put us upon duty and service, and direct us also in 
the performance of it. Insomuch that the hardest duty 
will be easy to one that knows God ; the easiest will be 
hard to one that knows him not. Hard did I say ? yea* 
and impossible too, for although a man may know God, 
and yet not serve him, it is impossible that any man should 
serve God unless he knows him ; knowledge itself being 
both the first duty that we owe to God, and the founda- 
tion of all the rest. 

And therefore, to conclude, if any desire to perform the 
vow, they made in their baptism, to love and fear, to ho- 
nour and obey the eternal God that made them: if any de- 
sire to be Christians indeed, and holy in all manner of con- 
versation ; if any desire to trust on the promises, and observe 
the precepts of the great Creator and Possessor of the world, 
to live above the snares of death, and to antedate the joys of 
heaven ; if any desire to live the life, and to die the death of 
the righteous, to serve God here so as to enjoy him hereaf- 
ter ; let all such but study the scriptures, and frequent the 
public ordinances ; be constant and sincere in prayer and 
meditation, neglecting no opportunity of acquainting them- 
selves with God, but making use of all means possible to 
get their hearts possessed with a reverential apprehension 
of God's greatness and glory, and with a due sense of his 
goodness and perfections, and their work will be soon 
done ; for if they thus know God they will serve him too 
with a perfect heart and a willing mind. 

We have seen how we ought to know God ; and we are 
now to consider how we ought to serve him ; without 
which, indeed, our knowledge of him will avail us no- 
thing. For, as the apostle argues, Though I speak with 
the tongues of men and angels, and have not charity, I am 
become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal, 1 Cor. xiii. 
1. So here: though we should have the highest notions 
and speculations in divinity, that men or angels ever had ; 
though we should understand the highest mysteries in reli- 
gion, and dive into the profoundest secrets of Christian 
philosophy ; though we should excel the greatest school- 
men, and the most learned doctors that ever lived ; and 
were able to baffle heresies, dispute error and schism out 
of the Christian church, and evince the truth of the articles 
of our faith, by more than mathematical demonstrations ; 

I 



191 THOUGHTS UPON THE 

yet, if after all this, our knowledge be only notional, not 
moving our affections, nor putting us upon the practice of 
what we know, it is but as sounding brass, or a tinkling 
cymbal : it may make a noise in the world, and get us ap- 
plause among men, but it will stand us in no stead at all 
before the eternal God, yea, it will rise up in judgment 
against us another day, and sink us lower into the abyss of 
torments. And therefore, though men may, God doth 
not look upon this as the true knowledge of himself. Nei- 
ther can any one be properly said to know God, that doth 
not serve him with a perfect heart and a willing mind. 
And therefore, having discoursed of that knowledge which 
is necessary to our serving God, I shall now endeavour to 
shew, how we ought to serve God according to om* know- 
ledge. 

In speaking unto which, I must beg the reader's most 
serious and Christian attention, as to a matter which con- 
cerns our lives ; yea, our eternal lives in another world. 
I hope there are none of those that pretend to instruct, so 
brutish and atheistical, as not to desire to serve God : none 
so proud and self-conceited, as to think that they serve 
him well enough already, or at least know how to do it, 
I write only to such as want to be instructed, read books 
of practical religion with no other design but to serve 
God, and to learn how to serve him better. And if this 
be our only design, as I hope it is, let us manifest it to 
the world, and to our consciences, by attending to, and 
fixing what we read upon our own hearts. For I may 
venture to say, that this is the noblest and most necessary 
subject that I can write, or any one can read of; and that, 
which if seriously weighed, rightly considered, and truly 
practised, will most certainly bring us to the highest hap- 
piness which our natures are capable of, or our persons 
Were at first designed for. 

Now, for our clear proceeding in a matter of great im- 
portance, we will first consider what it is to serve God ? 
A question very necessary to be treated of and resolved, 
because of the general mistakes that are in the world about 
it : many people fancying the service of God to consist in 
some few particular acts ; as in saying their prayers, read- 
ing the scriptures, going to church, giving an alms now 
and then to the poor ; especially if they be but zealous 
and resolute in the defence of the party or faction they are 
of, so as to promote it to the highest of their parts, estates, 
or power, then they think they do God good service, and 



KNOWLEDGE OF GOD. lj}& 

that 'Ms is all he requires of them. Others think they 
serve God by serving of his creatures, as in praying to 
saints, bowing to images, and falling down before the eu- 
charist when it is carried in procession : nay, many there 
are, who think they serve God when they dishonour him, 
w r resting his scriptures, corrupting his doctrine, opposing 
his vicegerents, seducing his people and servants unto er- 
ror, and all for the promoting of some temporal interests, 
or groundless opinions. But we must know that the ser- 
vice of God is a thing of an higher nature, and nobler 
stamp than such silly mortals would persuade us it is ; 
consisting in nothing less than, 

1 . In devoting of ourselves, and all we have, or are, or 
do, unto the honour of the eternal God ; resigning our 
hearts wholly to him, and subduing all our passions and 
affections before him. For seeing w r e were wholly made 
by him, and wholly depend upon him, if we would serve 
God at all, we must serve him with all we are ; every fa- 
culty of our souls and member of our bodies employing 
themselves in those services which he set them, so as to 
live as none of our ow r n, but as wholly God's ; his by crea- 
tion, it w T as he that made us ; his by preservation, it is he 
that maintains us; and his by redemption, it is he that hath 
purchased us with his own most precious blood ; and there- 
fore being thus bought with a price, we should glorify God 
both in our souls and bodies, which are his, 1 Cor. vi. 20. 

And as w r e are to serve him with all vv e are, so also with 
all we have. Honour the Lord with all thy substance, and 
with thejlrst-fruits of all thine increase, Prov. iii. Q. What- 
soever w r e have w r e receive from his bounty, and therefore 
whatsoever we have should employ for his glory : our 
parts, our gifts, our estates, our power, our time ; what- 
soever w r e call ours, is his in our hands, and therefore to 
be improved, not for ourselves, but him ; as our Saviour 
shews in the parable of the talents, which the master of 
the house distributed amongst his servants ; to some he 
gave one, to some Jive, to others ten, that every one might 
employ his proportion to his master's use ; neither squan- 
dering it away, nor y et laying it up in a ?mp/cin. It is God 
that is the grand master and possessor of the world, who 
parcels it out amongst his creatures, as himself sees good, 
but wheresoever he entrusteth any thing, he expects the 
improvement of it for himself. And so, I suppose, doth 
every one of us from such servants as w r e keep ; w r e expect 
that what we put into their hands be laid out, not for 

I 2 



196 THOUGHTS UPON THE 

themselves, but for us ; and that they spend their time in 
our service, not their own : and if they do otherwise, none 
of us but will say, they do not serve us but themselves. 
How then can we expect that God will look upon us as 
serving him, when we do not do so much for him as we 
expect from our own servants, though our fellow-crea- 
tures ? Or how can we think that we serve him as we 
ought, unless we serve him as much as we can ? Or that God 
should look upon us as his servants, unless we employ and 
improve whatsoever we have, not for our own pleasure, 
profit, or applause, but for his honour and glory, from 
whom we did receive it ? Let us remember our Saviour's 
words, Matt. v. 16. Let your light so shine before men that 
they may see your good works , and glorify your Father which 
is in heaven. 

2. Hence the serving of God consisteth also in the per- 
forming of sincere and universal obedience to all his laws 
and commands, which is but the natural consequent of the 
former : for if our whole man, both soul and body, and 
whatsoever we have, or are, ought to be devoted to his 
glory, it must needs follow, that whatsoever we do should 
be conformable to his precepts ; which also is no more 
than every one of us expects from our servants : for those 
whom we have covenanted with to be our servants, and 
whom we keep upon that very account, that they may 
serve us ; we all expect that they should obey all our com- 
mands, and do whatsoever in justice and by our covenants 
we can enjoin them. But how much more then must we 
ourselves be obliged to obey all the laws and precepts of 
him that made us, whose creatures we are, and whose 
servants, by consequence, we ought to be ? 

I say, all his laws and precepts ; for we must not think 
to pick and choose, to do some things, and leave other 
things undone : for we should take it ill if our servants 
should serve us so ; if when we send them upon several 
businesses, they should mind one of them, and neglect all 
the other, we should questionless look upon them as very 
idle and careless servants : but let us consider and bethink 
ourselves, whether we have not served our master the eter- 
nal God, as bad as our servants have or can serve us. He 
hath given us several laws to observe, and hath set us seve- 
ral works to do, and we perhaps can make a shift to do 
something that is required of us ; but never think of the 
other, and perhaps the principal things too that he expects 
from us* 



KNOWLEDGE OF GOD. 197 

Just as if when Moses had broke the two tables of stone, 
whereon the ten commandments were written, one man 
should have come and snatched away one piece, a second 
run away with another piece, and a third with another, 
until at length ten several persons had gotten ten several 
pieces whereon the ten commandments were severally 
written ; and when they had done so, every one of them 
should have striven to keep the law that was written on his 
own piece, never minding what was written on the others. 
Do you think that such persons as these are, could be re- 
puted the servants of God, and to observe his laws, when 
they minded only one particular branch or piece of them ? 
the case is our own ; we hearing of several laws and com- 
mands, which the most high God hath set us, get some 
one of them by the end, and run away with that, as if we 
were not concerned in any of the rest But let us still re- 
member, that the same finger that wrote one of the com- 
mands, wrote all the other too. And therefore he that 
doth not observe all, as well as one, cannot properly be 
said to observe any at all. Neither indeed doth he serve 
God in any thing : for though he may do something that 
God requires, yet it is plain, that he doth not therefore do 
it because God requires it ; for if he did so, he would do 
all things else too that God requires. And therefore such 
a person doth not serve God at all in what he doth ; no, 
he serves himself rather than God, in that he doth it not 
in obedience to God, but with respect to himself, as to 
get himself a name and credit among men, or perhaps to 
satisfy his troublesome conscience, which would not let 
him be at quiet unless he did it. 

But now one that would serve God indeed, hath respect 
to all his commandments, Psal. cxix. 6. And walks in all 
the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless, as 
Zacharias and Elizabeth are said to have done, Luke i. 6. 
And thus whosoever would serve the Lord in any thing 
must serve him in all things that he requireth. And this 
is that which David means in this advice to his son, say- 
ing, Know thou the God of thy fathers, and serve him : 
that is, observe and do whatsoever he enjoins, and that 
too with a perfect heart and a willing mind. 

And so I come to the second thing to be considered here; 

that is, the manner how we ought to serve God, even with 

a perfect heart, and with a willing mind. 

^ First, With a perfect heart ; that is, with integrity and 

sincerity of heart, not from any by-ends, or sinister de- 

I S 



198 THOUGHTS UPON THE 

signs, but out of pure obedience to the laws of God, as he 
is the sovereign of heaven and earth, and in Christ, our 
Lord, and our God. A thing much to be observed in all 
our services, without which, indeed, they are no services 
at all. Insomuch that should we pray our tongues to the 
stumps, and fast our bodies into skeletons ; should we fill 
the air with sighs, and the sea with tears for our sin ; 
should we spend all our time in hearing of sermons, and 
our whole estates in relieving the poor ; should we hazard 
our lives, yea, give our bodies to be burnt for our religion, 
yet nothing of all this would be accepted as a service unto 
God, unless it be performed with a sincere obedience to 
his laws, and with a single eye, aiming at nothing but his 
glory, which ought to be the ultimate end oj all our actions, 
1 Cor. x. 31. 

Secondly, We must not only serve God with a perfect 
heart, but with a willing mind too, benephesch chephatsoah 
properly with a willing soul ; that is, our will and all the 
affections of our souls should be carried after, and exer- 
cised in the service of almighty God. Our desires are to 
be inflamed towards it, our love fixed upon it, and our 
delight placed in it. Thus the Israelites are said to have 
sought the Lord with their whole desire, 2 Chron, xv. 15. 
And we are commanded to love the Lord our God, and so 
to serve him with all our heart, and with all our soul, Deut. 
xi. 13. Yea, we are to delight to do the will of God, Psal. 
xi. 8. as our Saviour did, saying, It is my meat to do the 
will of him that sent me, and to finish his work, John iv. 34. 
Thus we are so to esteem the service of God above our ne- 
cessary food, pleasing ourselves in pleasing him, and so 
make his service not only our business, but our recreation 
too ; and whosoever doth not so, whatsoever he doth for 
God, he cannot be said to serve him, because he doth it 
against his will, and against the bent and inclination of his 
soul. And therefore, though as to the outward act he 
may do that which God commands, yet inwardly he doth 
it not, because his soul is still averse from it, by which 
means it ceaseth to be the service of God : because it is not 
performed by the whole man, even soul and body, both 
which are necessarily required in our performance of real 
service to him that made them both. "-■ 

Thirdly, What is the reason why wc ought to serve God 
so ? Because he scarcheth the heart, and understandeik all 
the imaginations of the thoughts : that is, he is thoroughly 
acquainted with every thought in our hearts, and with 



KNOWLEDGE OF GOD. 199 

every motion and inclination of our souls infinitely better 
than ourselves are. And therefore it is in vain for us to 
think to put him off with outward and formal, instead of 
inward and real service : for he doth not only see what we 
do, but knows too what we think while we are doing of it ; 
and doth not only observe the matter of our actions, but 
the manner also of our performing them : it being his great 
prerogative to " search the heart, and to try the reins, and 
to have all things naked and open unto him," Heb. iv. 13. 
so that he seeth what the soul doth within doors, in the se- 
cret closets of the heart, as clearly as what it doth without 
in the open streets of the world : every affection of the soul 
being as manifest unto him, as the actions of the body 
are ; and therefore hypocrisy is the most foolish and ridi- 
culous sin imaginable, making as if we could cheat and 
deceive God, and hide our sins from the all-seeing eyes of 
omniscience itself, or make God believe that we are holy, 
because we appear to be so to men. 

But to bring this matter more closely to ourselves : we 
have been all at church, perhaps, performing our service 
and devotions to him that made us ; it is true, as to our 
outward appearance, there hath been no great difference 
betwixt us, we have been equally present at these public 
ordinances, and we do not know but one hath prayed and 
heard the word of God both read and preached as well as 
another ; so that seemingly our services are all alike as to 
us, but are they so to God too ? That I much question : 
for he hath taken especial notice all along, not only of the 
outward gestures of our bodies, but likewise of the in- 
ward behaviour of our hearts and souls before him : and 
therefore, as I hope he hath seen many of us serving him 
with a perfect heart and a willing mind ; so, I fear he hath 
found too many of us tardy, coming before him as his peo- 
ple come, and sitting before him as his people sit, while our 
hearts in the mean time have been about our covetous- 
ness ; and hath plainly seen, though our bodies have been 
at church, our souls have been elsewhere, thinking upon 
our relations, or estates, or something or other, besides 
what our thoughts should have been employed about in so 
solemn a duty as the public worship. But know this, 
vain man, whosoever thou art, thai God will not be mocked : 
and though thou hast not seen, or perhaps so much as 
thought of him, he hath seen thee and thy thoughts too ; 
yea, at this very moment looks upon thee. And what wilt 
thou answer him, the great Judge of the whole world, 

I 4 



200 THOUGHTS UPON THE 

when he shall tell thee to thy face, and call his omnisci- 
ence to witness, that he saw thee at this, as at other times, 
play the lrypocrite with him, making as if thou servedst 
him, when thou servedst him not ; and instead of serving 
him with a perfect heart and a willing mind, servedst him in 
neither heart nor mind. Let us all remember this when 
we approach God's house, and also bethink ourselves af- 
terwards, whether we have not been guilty of this sin ! if 
we have, we may be sure God knows it, and we shall 
know it another day. But to prevent what justly may be 
our doom, let us repent of our former neglects in this kind ; 
and, for the future, whensoever we are serving God, let 
us still look upon him as looking upon us, and fix in our 
hearts this one thing, That God knows all things in the world. 
And therefore let us not think to put God off with such 
careless and perfunctory services as heretofore too many of 
us have done ; but if we desire to serve him at all, let us 
serve him with a perfect heart and a willing mind. 

Thus I have endeavoured to shew both, what it is to 
serve God, and how we ought to do it : now let us not 
think it sufficient that we know how to serve God, unless 
we serve him according to our knowledge. Let us remem- 
ber our Saviour's words : If ye know these things, happy 
are ye if ye do them, John xiii. 17. Which happiness, that 
all who read this may attain unto, let me advise them, in 
the name of the eternal God that made them, to renounce 
and forsake .their former masters, sin, Satan, and the world, 
whoever may have hitherto been enslaved by them, and 
now dedicate themselves wholly to the service of him that 
made them for that very purpose that they may serve 
him ; yea, and who hath composed our natures so, that 
the highest happiness we are capable of, consists in our 
serving him : and therefore let us not think, that he calls 
upon us to serve him, because he wants our service ; no, 
be it known unto all that he is infinitely happy in the en- 
joyment of his own perfections, and needs not the ser- 
vices of such poor silly mortals as we are, who have no- 
thing but what we receive from him ; and therefore he 
doth not call upon us to serve him because he cannot be 
happy without us, but because we cannot be happy with- 
out him : not because he wants our service, but because 
we want it ; it being impossible for us to be happy, unless 
we be holy"; or to enjoy God, unless we serve him. 

Wherefore all ye that desire to go to heaven, to have 
him that made you reconciled to you, and smile upon you ; 



KNOWLEDGE OF GOD. 201 

or that desire to be really and truly happy ; set upon the 
work which God sent you into the world about, put it not 
off any longer, make no more vain excuses, but from this 
day forward, let the service of God be your daily, your 
continual employment and pleasure : study and contrive 
each day how to advance his glory and interest in the 
world, and how you may walk more strictly, more cir- 
cumspectly, more conformably to his laws than eveiv 
But whatsoever service you perform unto him, be sure to 
do it with a perfect heart and a willing mind. Think not to 
put him off with fancy instead of faith, or with outward 
performances instead of real duties ; but remember that 
ne searcheth the hearts, and trieth the reins of the sons of 
men, and observes the inward motions of the soul, as well 
as the outward actions of the life : and therefore whereso* 
ever you are, whatsoever you do, still bethink yourselves, 
that he that made you, still looks upon you ; taking no^ 
tice not only of the matter of the actions which you per-* 
form, but also of the manner of your performing them ; 
and therefore be sure to have a special care in all your ser- 
vices for or unto God, that your il hearts be sincere before 
him, ' and your minds inclined to him," that so you may 
" serve him with a perfect heart and a willing mind." 

But to conclude ; whoever ye are that read this dis- 
course, I have shewn you the cc things that belong unto 
your everlasting peace," have acquainted you with the me^ 
thod and manner of your serving God in time, in order to 
your enjoyment of him to eternity ; how you are affected 
with what you have read, and whether you be resolved to 
practise it, yea, or no, it is only the eternal God that 
knows. But this I know, that if you will not be persuad- 
ed to serve God, yea, and to serve him too with a perfect 
heart and a willing mind, you will one day wish you had, 
but then it will be too late. And therefore if you will put 
it to the venture, go on still, and with the unprofitable 
servant, hide your talents in a napkin, or lavish them out 
in the revels of sin and vanity ; let thy belly be still thy 
god, and the world thy lord ; serve thyself or Satan, in-* 
stead of the living God : but know that for all this, God will 
bring thee into judgment ; after which expect nothing else 
but to be overwhelmed with horror and confusion to eter* 
nity. 

Whereas on the other side, such amongst you as shall 
sincerely endeavour from henceforth to serve God with a 
perfect heart and a willing mind, I dare, I do assure them. 

I 5 



202 THOUGHTS UPOX THE 

in the name of God, (heir labour shall not he in vain in the 
Lord : for God suffers not his enemies to go unpunished, 
nor his servants unrewarded. 

And therefore go on with joy and triumph in the ser- 
vice of so great and so good a master, and devote your- 
selves wholly to his service, and employ your talents faith- 
fully for his glory. Remember the time is but short ; and 
Christ himself will receive you into eternal glory, saying, 
Well done, good and faithful servant. 



"V^W^/V^ft. */% %/% -v% 



THOUGHTS UPON THE MYSTERY 
OF THE TRINITY. 

THOUGH there be many in the world that seem to be 
religious, there are but few that are so : one great 
reason whereof is, because there are so many mistakes 
about religion, that it is an hard matter to hit upon the 
true notion of it : and therefore desiring nothing in this 
world so much as to be an instrument in God's hand to di- 
rect men into the true religion, my great care must, and 
by the blessing of God shall be, to instil into them right 
conceptions of him, that is the only object of all religious 
acts, without which it is impossible to continue, or indeed 
to be religious : the true nature and notion of religion 
consisting in the right carriage and deportment of our 
whole man, both soul and body, towards him that made 
us ; whom therefore, unless we truly know, we can ne- 
ver be truly religious; and therefore they that begin their 
religion with zeal and passion, begin at the wrong end ; 
for indeed they begin where they should end : our zeal for 
God, and love unto him, being the highest acts of religion, 
and therefore cannot be the first ; but they necessarily pre- 
suppose the true knowledge of God, without which our zeal 
will be blind, and our love both groundless and transient. 

But as it is impossible to be truly religious, unless we 
know God, so it is very difficult so to know him, as to be- 
come truly religious. It is true that there is such a su- 
preme Being in and over the world, as we call God; the 
very light of nature teaches, and reason itself demonstrates 
it to be the most certain and undeniable. But what he is, 
and what apprehensions we ought to have of this glorious 
Being, none but himself is able to describe and manifest 



MYSTERY OF THE TRINITY. 203 

unto us ; so that our conceptions of him are still to be re- 
gulated by the discoveries that he hath made of himself to 
us ; without which, though we may have some confused 
notions of him, yet we can never so know him, as to serve 
him faithfully, and, by consequence, be truly religious. 

Hence therefore, if we would know God, we must 
search the scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, 
wherein God hath been pleased most clearly to manifest 
and discover himself unto us ; I say, both the Old and 
New Testaments, for otherwise, our knowledge of God 
may be very defective and erroneous, there being several 
things which God, in the New Testament, hath most 
plainly revealed of himself, which in the Old Testament 
are more darkly and obscurely delivered to us. As for ex-* 
ample the great mystery of the Trinity ; though it be fre- 
quently intimated in the Old Testament, yet it is an hard 
matter rightly to understand it without the New : inso- 
much, that the Jews, though they have had the law above 
three thousand, and the prophets above two thousand 
years among them, yet to this day they could never make 
this an article of faith ; but they, as well as the Mahome- 
tans, still assert, That God is only one in person as well as 
nature : whereas nothing can be more plain from the New 
Testament, than that there is but one God, and yet there 
are three persons, every one of which is that one God. : 
and so that though God be but one in nature, yet he is 
three in persons ; and so three persons, as yet to be but 
one in nature. 

And, verily, although there was no other text in all the 
scripture, whereon to ground this fundamental article of 
our Christian faith, that of Matt, xxviii. 10. Go ye there** 
fore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the 
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, is a suffici- 
ent foundation for it ; there being nothing, I think, ne- 
cessary to be believed concerning the glorious Trinity, 
but what may easily and naturally be deduced from these 
words ; which were spoken, it is true, by our Saviour be-? 
fore his ascension, but I question whether they were tho- 
roughly understood, till after the Holy Ghost was come 
down on earth : it being only by Gr>d himself that we can 
come to the true knowledge of him, much less are we able 
rightly to apprehend, and firmly to believe three persons 
in the Godhead, without the assistance of one of them, that 
is of the Holy Ghost, by whom the other two are wont to 
wprk ; he being the issue, if I may so say, and breath of 

I 6 



"204 THOUGHTS UPON THE 

both. Hence it is, that the wisdom of the church, for 
these many centuries, hath thought fit to order, that this 
great mystery be celebrated the next Lord's day after the 
commemoration of the Holy Spirit's coming down upon 
the disciples, and in them, upon all true believers ; both 
because all three persons have now manifested themselves 
to mankind ; the Father in his creation of them, the Son 
in his conversing with them, and the Holy Ghost by his 
coming down upon them: and also so shew, that it is 
only by the grace and assistance of God's Spirit that we 
can rightly believe in this glorious and incomprehensible 
mystery which our Saviour hath so clearly revealed to us 
in these words, Go ye and teach all nations, &c. 

For the opening of which, we must know that our Sa- 
viour, in the foregoing verse, acquaints his disciples, that 
now ail power was given him in heaven and in earth ; by 
virtue whereof he here issueth forth his commission to his 
apostles, and, in them, to all that should succeed them, 
to supply his room, and be his vicegerents upon earth, he 
being now to reside in his kingdom of heaven. For saith 
he, all 'power is given to me in heaven and earth : go ye 
therefore and teach all nations. As he also saith elsewhere 
to them, As my Father hath sent me, even so I send you, 
John xx. 21. As if he should have said, My Father hav- 
ing committed to me all power and authority both in hea- 
ven and earth, I therefore authorize and commissionate, 
yea, and command you to go and teach all nations, &c. 

This therefore is part of the commission which our Lord 
and master left with his apostles immediately, before he 
parted from them. Those being the last words which St. 
Matthew records him to have spoken upon earth ; and 
therefore they must needs contain matter of very great im- 
portance to his church ; and it must needs highly concern 
us all to understand the true meaning and purport of 
them. Which that we may the better do, in treating of 
them, I shall observe the same method and order as he 
did in speaking them. 

First, Therefore, here is the work he send3 the apostles 
about ; Go ye therefore and teach, poreuihcntes oun mathe~ 
teusale, which more properly may be rendered, Go ye 
therefore and disciple all nations, or make the persons of all 
nations to be my disci-pies, that is Christians. That this is 
the true meaning of the words, is plain and clear, from 
the right notion of the word here used matheteuo, which 
coming from mathetes, a disciple, it always signifieth either 



MYSTERY OF THE TRINITY. 205 

to be or to make disciples, wheresoever it occurs in all the 
scriptures ; as matheteutheis, Matt. xiii. 5 C 2, which is in- 
structed, say we, the Syriac better, damtachlamad, that is, 
made a disciple, a Talmid, that is, not only a scholar or 
learner, but a follower or professor of the gospel, here 
called the kingdom of heaven. Another place where this 
word occurs, is Matt, xxvii. 51. ematheteuse ton leson, where 
we rightly translate it, was Jesus' disciple. Another place 
is Acts xiv. 21. kai matheteus antes, which we improperly 
render, having taught many ; the Syrian and Arabic, 
more properly, having made many disciples. And these 
are all the places in the New Testament where this word 
is used, except those I am now considering, where all the 
eastern languages render it according to its notation, dis- 
ciple. The Persian paraphrastically expounds it, Go ye 
and reduce all nations to my faith and religion. So that 
whosoever pleads for any other meaning of these words, 
do but betray their own ignorance in the original lan- 
guages, and by consequence, in the true interpretation of 
scripture. 

I should not have insisted so long upon this, but that the 
false exposition of these words hath occasioned that no less 
dangerous than numerous sect of Anabaptists in the world; 
for the old Latin translation having it, Fmntes ergo, docete 
omnes gentes ; hence the German, where anabaptism first 
began, and all the modern translations render it as we do, 
Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them. From 
whence it was supposed by some that were not able to 
dive into the true meaning of the words, that our Saviour 
here commanded that none should be baptized but such 
as were first taught the principles of the Christian religion; 
which is the greatest mistake imaginable ; for our Saviour 
doth not speak one word of teaching before baptism, but 
only after, ver. 20. didascontes, his meaning being only 
that his apostles should go about the world and persuade 
all nations to forsake their former idolatries and supersti- 
tions, and to turn Christians, or the disciples of Jesus 
Christ ; and such as were so, should be baptized. And 
therefore infant baptism is so far from being forbidden, 
that it is expressly commanded in these words ; for all dis- 
ciples are here commanded to be baptized ; nay, they are 
therefore commanded to be baptized, because disciples. 
And seeing all disciples are to be baptized, so are infants 
too, the children of believing parents ; for they are disci- 
ples as well as any other, or as well as their parents them- 



206 THOUGHTS UPON THE 

selves: for all that are in covenant with God must needs 
be disciples : but that children are always esteemed in co- 
venant with God, is plain, in that God himself command- 
ed the covenant should be sealed to them, as it was all 
along by circumcision. But that children are disciples as 
well as others, our Saviour puts it out of all doubt, saying 
of children, of such is the kingdom of God, Mark x. 14. 
And therefore they must needs be disciples, unless such 
as are not disciples can belong to the kingdom of God, 
which a man must be strangely distempered in his brain 
before he can so much as fancy. 

And besides, that children, so long as children, are 
looked upon as part of their parents ; and therefore as their 
parents are, so are they : if their parents be heathens, so 
are the children : if the parents be Jews, so are the chil- 
dren : if the parents be Christians, so are the children too ; 
nay, if either of the parents be a Christian or disciple, the 
children of both are denominated from the better part, and 
so looked upon as Christians too, as is plain, 1 Cor. vii. 1 4. 
But now are they holy, that is, in a federal or covenant 
sense, they are in covenant with God ; they are believ- 
ers, Christians, or disciples, because one of their parents 
is so. 

Now seeing children are disciples as. well as others, and 
our Saviour here commands all disciples to be baptized, it 
necessarily follows that children must be baptized too. So 
that the opinion that asserts, that children ought not to be 
baptized, is grounded upon a mere mistake, and upon 
gross ignorance of the true meaning of the scripture, and 
especially of this place, which is most ridiculously mistak- 
en for a prohibition, it being rather a command for infant 
baptism. 

But I must crave the reader's excuse for this digression 
from the matter principally intended, though I could not 
tell how r to avoid it ; nothing being more needful than to 
rescue the w T ords of our blessed Saviour from those false 
glosses and horrible abuses which these last ages have put 
upon them, especially it coming so directly in my way as 
this did. 

Secondly, Here is the extent of their commission, which 
is very large indeed, not being directed to some few parti- 
cular persons, but to nations ; not to some particular na- 
tions only, but to all nations ; Go ye therefore and disciple 
all nations; or ;J1 the world, as it is, Markxvi. 15. This 
was that which the prophet Isaiah, or rather God by him 



MYSTERY OF THE TRINITY. 207 

foretels, Isaiah xlix. 6. which our Saviour himself seems 
to have respect unto, Luke xxiv. 46, 47. The meaning 
whereof, in brief, is this, that though the Jews hitherto 
had been the only people of God, and none but they ad- 
mitted into covenant with him, now the Gentiles also are 
to be brought in and made confederates or copartners with 
them in the covenant of grace ; that the partition- wall be- 
ing now broken down, the gospel is to be preached to all 
other nations, as well as the Jewish ; Christ being now 
come to be a light to lighten the Gentiles, as well as the glory 
of his people Israel. 

But though the words of the commission be so clear to 
this purpose, yet the apostles themselves understood it not, 
till God had interpreted it from heaven to St. Peter, shew- 
ing him in a vision, that he should call no man common or 
unclean, Acts x. 27. From which time forward, he, with 
the rest of the apostles, observed their commission exactly 
in preaching to the Gentiles as well as the Jews. And this 
was one end wherefore the Holy Ghost came down 
amongst them, even to enable them to do what their master 
had commanded them, to preach unto all nations ; but 
that they could not do, unless they could speak all lan- 
guages, which therefore the Holy Ghost enabled them to 
do > Acts ii. 4, 5. which also is a clear demonstration of 
the true meaning and purport of these words : for there 
was no necessity that the spirit should teach the apostles 
all languages, but that the Son had first enjoined them to 
preach unto all nations. 

Thirdly, Hence is the manner whereby they are to ad- 
mit all nations into the church of Christ, or into the Chris- 
tian religion, by baptizing them in the name of the Father, 
and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. For the opening 
whereof we must know that baptism was a rite in common 
use amongst the Jews before our Saviour's time, by which 
they were wont to admit proselytes into their religion, 
baptizing them in the name of the Father, or of God. A 
little before our Saviour's appearance in the world, John 
Baptist, being sent to prepare the way for him, baptized the 
Jews themselves, as many as came unto him, in the name 
of the Messiah to come, which was called the baptism of re* 
pentance. I indeed baptize you, says he, with water to re- 
pentance ; but he that comes after me is mightier than I, &c. 
Matt. iii. 1 1 . But when our Saviour was to go to heaven, 
he left orders with his apostles to make disciples ; or ad- 
mit all nations into the religion that he had preached, con- 



£08 THOUGHTS UPON THE 

firmed with miracles, and sealed with his own blood, by 
baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy 
Ghost ; which form of baptism, questionless, his apostles 
faithfully observed all along, as may be gathered also from 
Acts xix. 2, 3. where we may observe, how when they 
said that they " had not so much as heard of an Holy 
Ghost," he wondering at that, asked them, " Unto what 
then were ye baptized ?" plainly intimating, that if they 
had been baptized aright, according to Christ's institution, 
they could not but have heard of the Holy Ghost, because 
they had been baptized in the name of the Father, and 
of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost But verse 5. as also 
Acts ii. 38. chap. viii. 1 6. we read of baptism administered 
in the name of the Lord Jesus ; from whence some have 
thought that the apostles baptized only the Gentiles in the 
name of the Father, arid of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, 
but the Jews in the name of the Lord Jesus only ; because 
they believing in the Father already, if they were but bap- 
tized in the name of Jesus, and so testified their belief that 
he was the Messiah, they could not but believe in his Spi- 
rit too ; but this expression of baptizing in the name of 
the Lord Jesus, seems to me rather to intimate that form 
of baptism which the Lord Jesus instituted : for, doubt- 
less, the apostles observed the precepts of our Lord better 
than so, as to do it one way, when he had commanded it 
to be done another ; and baptized only in the name of 
Jesus, when he had enjoined them to baptize in the name 
of the Father, arid of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. 

Neither did the church ever esteem that baptism valid, 
which was not administered exactly according to the in- 
stitution, in the name of all the three persons ; which the 
primitive Christians were so strict in the observance of, 
that it was enjoined, that all persons to be baptized should 
be plunged three times into the water, first at the name of 
the Father, and then at the name of the Son, and lastly, at 
the name of the Holy Ghost ; that so every person might 
be distinctly nominated, and so our Saviour's institution 
exactly observed in the administration of this sacrament. 

Hence also it was, that all persons to be baptized were 
always required, either with their own mouths, if adult, 
or if infants, by their sureties, to make a public confession 
of their faith in the three persons, into whose names they 
were to be baptized : for this indeed was always looked 
upon as the sum and substance of the Christian religion, 
to believe in God the Father, in God the Son, and in God the 



MYSTERY OF THE TRINITY. 

Holy Ghost ; and they who believed in these three persons, 
were still reputed Christians ; and they who did not were 
esteemed infidels or heretics. 

Yea, and our Saviour himself hath sufficiently declar- 
ed, how necessary it is for us to believe this great myste- 
ry ; as also how essential it is to a Christian, seeing that he 
requires no more in order to our initiation into his church, 
but only that we be baptized in the name of the Father, Son, 
and Holy Ghost. In which words we may observe : 

First, A Trinity of Persons, into whose names we are 
baptized, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. This is that 
mystery of mysteries which is too high for human under- 
standings to conceive, but not too great for a divine faith 
to believe; even that although there be but one God, 
there are three Persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy 
Ghost, every one of which is that one and the self-same 
God : and therefore it is that baptism is here commanded 
to be administered in the name of all three. 

Now to confirm our faith in this great mystery, where- 
into we are all baptized, I shall endeavour to shew in few 
terms, what grounds we have in scripture to believe it. 
For which end we must know, that though this great 
mystery hath received great light by the rising of the Sun 
of righteousness upon the world, yet it did not lie altoge- 
ther undiscovered before ; yea, from the very foundation of 
the world, the church, in all ages, hath had sufficient 
ground whereupon to build their faith on this great and 
fundamental truth : for in the very creation of the world, 
he that created it is called Chaim, in the plural number : 
and in the creation of man, he said, Let us make man in 
our own image ; from whence, though not a Trinity, yet 
a plurality of persons is plainly manifested ; yea, in the 
beginning of the world too, we find both Father, Son, and 
Spirit concurring in the making of it. 

First, It is said that God created heaven and earth, 
and then, That the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the 
waters, Gen. i. 1, 2. There are two persons, God, and 
the Spirit of God. And then we read how God made the 
world by his word : He said, let there be light, and there 
was light. From which expression St. John himself con- 
cludes, That all things were made by the Son of God, or 
his Word, Johni. 3. and so does St. Paul, Col. i. 16. 

Thus we read afterwards, The Spirit of the Lord spake 
by me, and his word by my tongue, 2 Sam. xxiii. 2. where 
we have Jehovah, the Spirit of Jehovah, and the Word of 



210 THOUGHTS UPON THE 

Jehovah, plainly and distinctly set down. As also in Psal. 
xxxiii. 6. and Isa. lxii. 1. where there is the Lord speak- 
ing of his Son, and saying, That he will put his Spirit upon 
him ; and this also seems to be the reason why the holy 
angels, when they praise God, say, Holy, holy, holy, Lord 
of hosts, Isa. vi. 3. Rev. iv. 8. saying holy thrice, in re- 
verence to the three persons they adore. 

Thus we might discover this truth in the Old Testa- 
ment ; but in the New we can scarce look over it. For 
when Jesus was baptized, Matt. iii. 16. had we, who 
know nothing but by our senses, been present at this time 
with Jesus at Jordan, our very senses would have convey- 
ed this truth to our understandings, whether we would or 
no. Here we should have heard a voice from heaven ; 
whose was it but God the Father ? Here we should have 
seen one coming out of Jordan ; who was that but God 
the Son ? Here we should have seen something else too, 
in the form of a dove ; who was that but God the Spirit ? 
Thus was God the Father heard speaking ; God the So?i 
was seen ascending out of the water ; and God the Holy 
Ghost descending from heaven upon him. The first was 
heard in the sound of a voice, the second was seen in the 
form of a man, and the third was beheld in the shape of 
a dove. 

Voce Fater, natus Cor pore, Jlamen Ave. 

But there are many such places as this all the New Tes- 
tament over, where the three persons of the Godhead are 
distinctly mentioned, as Luke i. 35. John xiv. 16, 26. 
chap. xvi. 7. Gal. iv. 6. But the words of St. Paul are 
very remarkable too, 2 Cor. xiii. 14. And yet that all 
these three persons were but one God, Gen. xviii. 2, 3. John 
x. 30. St. John expressly asserts, saying, There are three 
that bear record in heaven, the Father, and the Word, and 
the Spirit, and these three are one, 1 John- v. 7. Which 
certainly are as plain and perspicuous terms as it is possi- 
ble to express so great a mystery in. But I need not have 
gone so far to have proved that there are three distinct 
persons in the Godhead : the words I am treating of be- 
ing a sufficient demonstration of it : for as all the three 
persons met together at our Saviour's baptism ; so doth 
our Saviour here command, that all his disciples be bap- 
tized in the name of all three : and therefore I cannot but 
admire how any pne should dare to profess himself to be a 



MYSTERY OF THE TRINITY. 211 

Christian, and yet deny or oppose the sacred Trinity, into 
which he was baptized when he was made a Christian : 
for, by this means, he renouncing his baptism, blas- 
phemes Christ, unchristians himself, blotting his own 
name out of the catalogue of those who were made Chris- 
tians only by being baptized in the name of the Father, and 
of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. 

II. Here is the Godhead of the Trinity, or of every per- 
son in the Trinity, that one as well as the other is God : for 
here we see divine worship is to be performed to them all ; 
and all that profess the true religion must be baptized in 
the name of the Son and Holy Ghost, as well as of the 
Father ; which certainly would be the greatest absurdity, 
yea the most horrid impiety imaginable, were not they 
God as well as he. For, if they be not God,^ they are 
creatures ; if they be creatures, reason as well as scripture 
forbids the same honour and worship to be conferred on 
them, which is given to God himself, and only due to 
him; which here, notwithstanding, we see is given to 
them, and that by our Lord himself, commanding bap- 
tism to be administered in his own name and in the name 
of the Holy Ghost, as well as in the name of the Father, 
and so making himself and the Spirit equal sharers in the 
same honour that is given to the Father. So that, was 
there no other place in the whole scripture to prove it, this 
alone would be sufficient to convince any gainsayer, that 
the Son and Spirit are God as well as the Father, or ra- 
ther the same God with him. But that I may unveil this 
mystery, and confirm this truth more clearly, we will con- 
sider each person distinctly, and shew that one as well as 
the other is really God. 

That the Father is God, none ever denied it, and there- 
fore we need not prove it. But, if the Father be God, the 
Son must needs be God too ; for the same names, proper- 
ties, works and worship, which in scripture are ascribed 
to the Father, are frequently ascribed to the Son also in 
scripture ; the Father is called Jehovah in scripture, so is 
the Son, Hos. i. 7. Jer. xxiii. 6. the Father is called God, 
so is the Son, John i. 1. In the beginning was the 
Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was 
God ; with God, as to his person : God as to his nature. 
So also John xx. 28. Acts xx. 28, &c. Moreover, is the 
Father Alpha and Omega, the first and the last ? So is 
the Son, Rev. i. 8. Is the Father eternal ? So is the Son, 
Isa. ix. 6. Rev. i. 8. Is the Father almighty? So is the 



212 THOUGHTS UPON THE 

Son, Heb. i. 3. Is the Father every where ? So is the Son, 
Matt, xviii. 20. Doth the Father know all things ? So doth 
the Son, John xxi. 17. chap. ii. 24. Did the Father make 
all things ? So did the Son, John i. 3. Doth the Father 
preserve all things ? So doth the Son, Heb. i. 3. Doth 
the Father forgive sins ? So doth the Son, Matt. ix. 6. Is 
the Father to be worshipped ? So is the Son, Heb. i. 6. Is 
the Father to be honoured ? So is the Son, John v. 23. 
No wonder therefore that Christ being thus in the form of 
God, thought itjw robbery to be equal with God, Phil. ii. 6". 
He did not rob God of any glory, by saying himself was 
equal to him. The greatest wonder is, how any one can 
believe the scriptures to be the word of God, and deny 
this great truth, than which nothing can be more plain, 
from scripture : nothing being more frequently and more 
clearly asserted than this is. And verily it is well for vis 
it is so ; for if Christ was not God, neither could he be 
our Saviour. None being able to free us from sins, but 
only he against whom they were committed. And there- 
fore I cannot imagine how any one can doubt of Christ's 
divinity, and yet expect pardon and salvation from him : 
all our hopes and expectations from him depending only 
upon his assumption of our human nature into a divine 
person. 

And that the Holy Ghost also is God, is frequently as- 
serted in the holy scriptures which himself indited. In- 
deed this very inditing of the scriptures was a clear argu- 
ment of his Deity, as well as the scriptures indited by him. 
What man, what angel, what creature, who but God 
could compose such articles of faith, enjoin such divine 
precepts, foretel and fulfil such prophecies as in scripture 
are contained, who spake unto all, or by the prophets ? 
who did they mean, when they said, Thus saith the Lord 
of hosts? Who was this Lord of hosts, that instructed 
them what to speak or write? Was it God the Father, or 
God the Son ; No, but it was God the Holy Ghost : " For 
the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man, but 
holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy 
Ghost," 2 Pet. i. 21. Acts xxviii. 25. chap. xxi. 11. The 
Holy Ghost therefore being the Lord of hosts, he must 
needs be God, there being no person that is or can be call- 
ed the Lord of hosts, but he that is the very and eternal 
God. 

This also may be gathered from 1 Cor. iii. 16. Know 
ye not that ye are the temple of God, and the Spirit of Gad 



MYSTERY OF THE TRINITY. 213 

dwelleth in you ; for none can be the temple of God,, but he 
in whom God dwells ; for it is God's dwelling in a place 
that makes that place the temple of God ; and yet we are 
here said to be the temple of God, because the Spirit 
dwelleth in us. And elsewhere, Know ye not, saith the 
apostle, that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost that 
is in you ? 1 Cor. vi. 19. which could not be unless the 
Holy Ghost was God. 

Another express scripture we have for it in Acts v. 3, 4, 
where St. Peter propounds this question to Ananias, Why 
hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost ? and 
then tells him in the next verse, Thou hast not lied to men, 
but to God ; and so expressly asserts the Holy Ghost to be 
God. 

Moreover, that the Holy Ghost is truly God, co-equal 
to the Father and Son, it is plain, in that the scriptures 
assert him to be, to have, and do whatsoever the Father 
or Son, is, hath, or doth, as God. For, is the Father 
and Son eternal? So is the Spirit, Heb. ix. 14. Is God 
the Father and the Son every where ? So is the Spirit, 
Psal. exxxix. 7. Is God the Father, and the Son, a wise, un- 
derstanding, powerful, and knowing God? So is the Spirit, 
Isa. xi. 2. Are we baptized in the name of the Father and 
the Son ? So are we baptized in the name of the Holy 
Ghost. May we sin against the Father and the Son ? So 
may we sin too against the Holy Ghost. Nay, the sin 
against this person only, is accounted by our Saviour to be 
a sin never to be pardoned, Matt. xii. 31, 32. We may 
sin against God the Father, and our sin may be pardoned; 
we may sin against God the Son, and our sin may be par- 
doned ; but if we sin or speak against the Holy Ghost, 
that shall never be forgiven, neither in this world, nor in that 
which is to come. But, if the Holy Ghost be not God, 
how can we sin against him ? or how comes our sin against 
him only, to be unpardonable, unless he be God ? I know 
it is not therefore unpardonable, because he is God, for 
then the sins against the Father and the Son would be 
unpardonable too, seeing they both are God as well as he; 
yet though this sin is not therefore unpardonable, because 
he is God, yet it could not be unpardonable, unless he 
was God. For, supposing him not to be God, but a crea- 
ture, and yet the sin against him to be unpardonable, then 
the sins against a creature would be unpardonable, when 
sins against God himself are pardoned : which to say, 
would itself, I think, come near to the sin against the 



214 THOUGHTS UPON THE 

Holy Ghost. But seeing our Saviour describes this un- 
pardonable sin, by blaspheming or speaking against the 
Holy Ghost, let them have a care that they be not found 
guilty of it, who dare deny the Holy Ghost to be really 
and truly God, and so blaspheme and speak the worst that 
they can against him. 

III. We have seen what ground we have to believe, 
that there are three persons in the Godhead, and that every 
one of these three persons is God ; we are now to consi- 
der the order of those persons in the Trinity, described in 
the words before us. 

First, The Father, and then the Son, and then the 
Holy Ghost : every one of which is really and truly God ; 
and yet they are but one real and true God. A mystery 
which we are all bound to believe, but yet must have a 
great care how we speak of it, it being both easy and dan- 
gerous to mistake in expressing so mysterious a truth as this 
is, If we think of it, how hard is it to contemplate upon 
one numerically divine nature, in more than one and the 
same divine person ; or upon three divine persons in no 
more than one and the same divine nature ? If we speak 
of it, how hard is it to find out fit words to express it ? If I 
say the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost be three, and every 
one distinctly God, it is true ; but if I say, they be three, 
and every one a distinct God, it is false. I may say, the 
divine persons are distinct in the divine nature ; but I can- 
not say, that the divine nature is divided into the divine 
persons. I may say, God the Father is one God, and the 
Son is one God, and the Holy Ghost is one God ; but I 
cannot say, that the Father is one God, and the Son ano- 
ther God, and the Holy Ghost* a third God. I may say, 
the Father begat another who is God ; yet I cannot say 
that he begat another God. And from the Father and the 
Son proceedeth another who is God, yet I cannot say, 
from the Father and the Son proceedeth another God. 
For ail this while, though their persons be distinct, yet 
still their nature is the same. So that though the Father 
be the first person in the Godhead, the Son the second, 
the Holy Ghost the third ; yet the Father is not the first, 
the Son the second, the Holy Ghost a third God : so 
hard a thing it is to word so great a mystery aright, or to 
lit so high a truth with expressions suitable and proper to 
it, without going one way or other from it. And there- 
fore I shall not use many words about it, lest some should 
slip from me unbecoming of it ; but, in as few terms as I 



MYSTERY OF THE TRINITY, 215 

can, I will endeavour to shew upon what account the Fa- 
ther is the first, the Son the second, and the Holy Ghost 
the third person in the Trinity. 

First, Therefore, the Father is placed first, and really 
is the first person, not as if he was before the other two, 
for they are all co-eternal ; but because the other two re- 
ceived their essence from him ; for the Son was begotten 
of the Father ; and the Holy Ghost proceedeth both from 
the Father and Son ; and therefore the Father is termed 
by the primitive Christians, Risa kai pege Theotetos, the 
Root and the Fountain of Deity. As in waters there is the 
fountain or well head, then there is a spring that boils up 
out of that fountain, and then there is the stream that flows 
both from the fountain and the spring, and yet all these 
are but one and the same water ; so here God the Father 
is the fountain of the Deity ; the Son, as the spring that 
boils up out of the fountain ; and the Holy Ghost, that 
flows from both, and yet all three are but one and the same 
God. The same may also be explained by another fami- 
liar instance ; the sun, you know, begets beams, and from 
the sun and beams together proceed both light and heat ; 
so God the Father begets the Son, and from the Father 
and Son together, proceeds the spirit of knowledge and 
grace : but as the sun is not before the beams, nor the 
beams before the light and heat, but altogether: so nei- 
ther is the Father before the Son, nor Father or Son be- 
fore the Holy Ghost, but only in order and relation to one 
another ; in which only respect, the Father is the first per- 
son in the Trinity. 

Secondly, The Son is the second person, who is called 
the Son, yea, and the only begotten Son of God, because 
he was begotten of the Father, not as others are by spiri- 
tual regeneration, but by eternal generation, as none but 
himself is : for the opening whereof, we must know, that 
God that made all things fruitful, is not himself sterile or 
barren ; but he that hath given power to animals to gene- 
rate and produce others in their own nature, is himself 
much more able to produce one, not only like himself, 
but of the self-same nature with himself, as lie did in be- 
getting his Son, by communicating his own unbegotten 
essence and nature to him. For the person of the Son was 
most certainly begotten of the Father, or otherwise he 
would not be his Son ; but his essence was unbegotten, 
otherwise he would not be God, and therefore the highest 
apprehensions that we can frame of this great mystery, the 



216 THOUGHTS UPON THE 

eternal generation of the Son of God, is only by conceiv- 
ing the person of the Father to have communicated his di- 
vine essence to the person of the Son. And so of himself 
begetting his other self the Son, by communicating his 
own eternal and unbegotten essence to him. I say, by 
communicating of his essence, not of his person to him, 
for then they would be both the same person, as now they 
are of the same essence : the essence of the Father did not 
beget the Son by communicating his person to him, but 
the person of the Father begat the Son by communicating 
his essence to him ; so that the person of the Son is be- 
gotten, not communicated, but the essence of the Son is 
communicated, - not begotten. 

This notion of the Father's begetting the Son by com- 
municating his essence to him I ground upon the Son's 
own words, who certainly best knew how himself was be- 
gotten : For, as the Father, saith he, hath life in himself, 
so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself, John v. 
26. To have life in himself, is an essential property of 
the divine nature, and therefore wheresoever that is given 
or communicated, the nature itself must needs be given 
and communicated too. 

Now here we see how God the Father communicated 
this his essential property, and so his essence to the Son ; 
and, by consequence, though he be not a distinct person 
from him, yet he hath the same unbegotten essence with 
him ; and therefore, as the Father hath life in himself, so 
hath the Son life in himself; and so all other essential pro- 
perties of the divine nature, only with this personal dis- 
tinction, that the Father hath this life in himself not from 
the Son, but from himself,- whereas the Son hath it, not 
from himself, but from the Father : or, the Father is 
God himself, not of the Son ; the Son is the same God, 
but from the Father, not from himself; and, therefore, 
not the Father, but the Son is rightly called by the coun- 
cil of Nice, God of Gods, light of lights, yea, very God of 
very God. 

Thirdly, Having thus spoken of the two first persons in 
the sacred Trinity, we come now to the last, the Holy 
Ghost. The last, I say, not in nature or time, but only 
in order ; for, as to their nature, one is not better or more 
God than another ; neither, as to time, is one before ano- 
ther ; none of them being measured by time, but all and 
every one of them eternity itself. But though not in na- 
ture or time, yet in order, one must needs be before ano- 
2 



MYSTERY OF THE TRINITY. 217 

ther ; for the Father is of himself, receiving his essence 
neither from the Son, nor from the Spirit, and therefore 
is, in order, before both; the Son received his essence 
from ih? Father, not from the Spirit, and therefore, in 
order, is before the Spirit, as well as after the Father; 
but the Spirit receiving his essence both from the Father 
and the Son, must needs, in order, be after both. 

I confess the Spirit is no where in scripture said to pro- 
ceed from the Son, and therefore the inserting this into 
the Xicene creed, was the occasion of that schism betwixt 
the Western and Eastern churches, which hath now con- 
tinued for many ages ; in which I think, both parties are 
blame- worthy ; the Western churches for inserting this 
clause following into the Nicene creed, without the con- 
sent of a general council; and the Eastern for denying so 
plain a truth as tins is : for though the Spirit be not said 
to proceed from the Son, yet he is called the Spirit of the 
Son, Gal. iv. 6. Horn. viii. 9- which questionless he would 
never have been, did he not proceed from the Son as well 
as from the Father. And verily, the Father communi- 
cating his own individual essence, and so whatsoever he is 
(Kis paternal relation excepted) to the Son, could not but 
communicate this to him also, even to have the Spirit pro- 
ceeding from him as it doth from himself. So that as what- 
soever the Father hath originally in himself, that hath the 
Son by communication from the Father : so hath the Son 
this, the Spirit's proceeding from him by communication 
from the Father, as the Father hath it in himself: and 
the Spirit thus proceeding both from the Father and the 
Son, hence it is that he is placed after both, not only in 
the words before us, but also in 1 John v. 7- and so else- 
where. 

From what I have hitherto discoursed concerning the 
great mystery, the Trinity in Unity and Unity in Trinity, 
I shall gather some few inferences, and so conclude. 

1. Is the Son God, yea, the same God with the Fa- 
ther ? Hence I observe, what a strange mystery the work 
of man's redemption is, that God himself should become 
man. And he that was begotten of his Father, without 
a mother from eternity, should be born of his mother, with- 
out a father, in time ; that he that was perfect God, like 
unto the Father, in every thing, his personal properties 
only excepted, should also be perfect man, like unto us in 
all things, our personal infirmities only excepted ; that he 
that made the world should be himself made m it ; that 

K 



218 THOUGHTS UPON THE 

eternity should stoop to time, glory be wrapt in misery* 
and the Sun of righteousness hid under a clod of earth ; 
that innocence should be betrayed, justice condemned, 
and life itself should die, and all to redeem man from 
death to life. Oh wonder of wonders ! how justly may 
we say with the apostle, Without controversy, great is the 
mystery of godliness, 1 Tim. iii. l6\ 

2. Is the Spirit also God ? Hence I observe, that it is 
God alone that can make us holy ; for seeing the scripture 
all along ascribes our sanctification unto the Spirit of God, 
and yet the Spirit of God is himself really and truly God, 
it necessarily followeteh, that the special concurrence and 
influence of almighty God himself is necessary to the mak- 
ing us really and truly holy. 

8. Are all three persons in the Trinity one and the same 
God ? Hence I infer, they are to have one and the same 
honour conferred upon them, and one and the same wor- 
ship performed unto them. Or, as our Saviour himself 
saith, Thai all men should honour the Son, even as they ho- 
nour the Father, John v. 23. And, ye believe in God, be- 
lieve also in me, John xiv. 1. And as we pray to the Fa- 
ther, so should we pray to the Son too, as the apostles 
did, Luke xvii. 5. and St. Stephen, Acts vii. 59. and St. 
Paul to all three, 2 Cor. xiii. 14. 

4. Is baptism to be administered in the name of the Fa- 
ther, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost ? Hence I 
observe how necessary it is to believe in these three per- 
sons, in order to our being real and true Christians ; for 
we being made Christians in the name of all three, that 
man ceaseth to be a Christian that believes only in one ; 
for faith hi God the Father, God the Son, and God the 
Holy Ghost, is necessary to the very constitution of a Chris- 
tian ; and is the principal, if not the only characteristical 
note whereby to distinguish a Christian from another man ; 
yea, from a Turk ; for this is the chief thing that the 
Turks, both in their Alcoran and other writings, upbraid 
Christians for, even because they believe a Trinity of per- 
sons in the divine nature. For which cause they frequent- 
ly say they are people that believe Gad hath companion* ; 
so that take away this article of our Christian faith, and 
what depends upon it, and there would be but little dif- 
ference betwixt a Christian and a Turk : but by this 
means, Turks would not turn Christians, but Christians 
Turks, if this fundamental article of the Christian religion 
was once removed ; for lie that doth not believe this, is no 



MYSTERY" OF THE TRINITY. 219 

Christian upon that very account, because he doth not be- 
lieve that by which a Christian is made ; and whatsoever 
else errors a man may hold, yet if he believes in God the 
Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost, I cannot, 
I dare not but acknowledge him to be a Christian in ge- 
neral, because he holds fast to the foundation of the Chris- 
tian religion, though perhaps he may build upon it hay and 
stubble, and so his superstructure be infirm and rotten. 

I shall conclude with a word of advice to all such as call 
themselves by the name of Christ : I suppose and believe 
they are all Christians, from their taking that name, and 
therefore I need not use any arguments to persuade them 
to turn Christians, for so they are already by profession * 
but, seeing that they are Christians, let me desire them to 
consider how they come to be so ; even by being baptized 
in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the 
Holy Ghost. And if they desire to be Christians still, I 
must advise them to continue steadfast in that faith where- 
by they were made so. Of all the errors and heresies 
which Satan liath sowed amongst us, let us have an especial 
care to avoid such as strike at the very foundation of our 
religion ; I mean the Arians, Macedonians, Socinians, 
and all manner of Antitrinitarians, such as deny the most 
sacred Trinity. 

But I hope we have better learned Christ than to heark- 
en to such opinions as these are ; and therefore my next 
advice in brief is only this, That as we excel others in the 
truth of our profession, so we would excel them also in the 
holiness of our life and conversation : let us manifest our- 
selves to be Christians indeed, by believing the assertions, 
trusting in the promises, fearing the threatenings, and 
obeying the precepts of Christ, our master, that both infi- 
dels and heretics may be convinced of their errors, by see- 
ing us out-stripping them in our piet}^ towards God, equi- 
ty to our neighbours, charity to the poor, unity among 
ourselves, and love to all ; for this would be a clear de- 
monstration, that our faith is better than theirs is, when 
our lives are holier than theirs are ; and for our encourage- 
ment thereunto, I dare engage, that if we believe thus, as 
Christ hath taught us, and live as he hath commanded us, 
we shall also obtain what he hath promised, even eternal 
happiness in the world to come ; where we shall see, enjoy, 
and praise that God, into whose name we are baptized, 
even Father, Son, and Holy Ghost for evermore. There, 
with angels and archangels, with the heavens and all the 

K 2 



*20 THOUGHTS UPON THE MYSTERY, &C 

powers therein ; with cherubim and seraphim, and all the 
blessed inhabitants of those everlasting mansions, with the 
glorious company of the apostles, the goodly fellowship 
of the prophets ; the noble army of martyrs ; all the 
company of heaven, and the holy church throughout all 
the world, we shall eternally laud and magnify thy sacred 
name, " O God the Father of heaven ; O God, the Son, 
" Redeemer of the world ; O God, the Holy Ghost, pro- 
ff ceeding from the Father and the Son ; O holy, blessed 
<: and glorious Trinity, three persons and one God, ever- 
■' more praising thee, the Father of an infinite majesty ; 
Si together with thine honourable, true, and only Son ; 
e: thee the King of glory, O Christ ; and thee, O Holy 
' ' Ghost, the Comforter ; still joining with the heavenly 
" choir, and saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of 
<c hosts, heaven and earth are full of thy glory ; glory be 
Ci to thee, O Lord most high. We praise thee, we bless 
" thee, we worship thee, we glorify thee, we give thanks 
" to thee for thy great glory, O Lord God, heavenly king, 
" God the Father almighty. O Lord, the only begotten 
" Son, Jesus Christ, O Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of 
" the Father, thou who takest away the sins of the world, 
u and sittest at the right hand of God the Father. O bless- 
ee ed, glorious, and eternal Spirit ; for thou only art holy, 
" thou only art the Lord ; thou only, O Christ, with the 
" Holy Ghost, art most high in the glory of God the Fa- 
" ther : for thine, O Lord, is the kingdom, and the pow- 
(C er, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen" 

" Almighty and everlasting God, who hast given unto 
"us thy servants grace, by the confession of a true 
" faith, to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity, 
" and in the power of the Divine majesty to worship the 
" Unity ; we beseech thee that thou wouldst keep us stead- 
" fast in this faith, and ever more defend us from all ad- 
<f versities, who livest and reignest, one God, world 
*' without end. Ameji." 

And now having led the Christian through this first 
stage of his course, and instructed him in the principles of 
his religion, and in the great mystery of the Trinity, into 
which he was baptized, it may be fit to bring him into the 
world and shew him how he ought to demean himself in re- 
gard to the things of it. 






THOUGHTS UPON WORLDLY RICHES. 221 

THOUGHTS UPON WORLDLY 
RICHES. 

SECTION I. 

HE that seriously considers the constitution of the 
Christian religion, observing the excellency of its 
doctrines, the clearness of its precepts, the severity of its 
threatenings, together with the faithfulness of its promises, 
and the certainty of its principles to trust to ; such a one 
may justly be astonished, and admire what should be the 
reason that they who profess this not only the most excel- 
lent, but only true religion in the world, should notwith- 
standing be generally as wicked, debauched and profane, 
as they that never heard of it. For that they are so, is 
but too plain and obvious to every one that observes their 
aetions, and compares them with the practice of Jews, 
Turks, and infidels. For what sin have they among them, 
which we have not as rife among ourselves ? Are they in- 
temperate and luxurious ? Are they envious and malicious 
against one another ? Are they uncharitable and censori- 
ous ? Are they given to extortion, rapine, and oppression ? 
So are most of those who are called Christians. Do they 
blaspheme the name of God, profane his sabbaths, con- 
temn his word, despise his ordinances, and trample upon 
the blood of his only Son ? How r many have we amongst 
ourselves that do these things as much as they ? 

But how comes this about, that they who are baptized 
into the name of Christ, and profess the religion which he 
established in the world, should be no better than other 
people, and in some respects far worse ? Is it because* 
though they profess the gospel, yet they do not understand 
it? Nor know what sins are forbidden, nor what duties 
are enjoined in it ? That none can plead, especially amongst 
us who have the gospeL so clearly revealed, so 'fully inter- 
preted, so constantly preached to us as we have. Inso- 
much that if there be any one person amongst us, that 
understands not what is necessaiy to be known, in order 
to our everlasting happiness, it is because we will not, 
wilfully shutting our eyes against the light. 

But what then shall we impute this w r onder to, that 
Christians are generally as bad as Heathens ? Does Christ 
in his gospel dispense with their impieties, and give them 

K 2 



222 THOUGHTS UPON WORLDLY RICHES. 

inclulgencies for their sins, and licence to break the moral 
law ? It is true, his pretended vicar at Rome doth so ; but 
far be it from us to father our sins upon him, who came 
into the world on purpose to save us from 'them. Indeed 
if we repent and turn from sin, he hath both purchased 
and promised pardon and forgiveness to us, but not till 
then : but hath expressly told us the contrary, assuring 
us, that except we repent we must all perish, Luke xiii. 3. 
I confess there have been such blasphemous heretics 
amongst us, called Antinomians, who are altogether for 
faith without good works, making as if Christ by erect- 
ing his gospel destroyed the moral law; but none can en- 
tertain such an horrible opinion as that is, whose sin fid 
practices have not so far depraved their principles, that 
they believe it is so only because they woidd have it to be 
so, directly contrary to our Saviour's own words, Matt. v. 
17. Think not that I am come to destroy the law or the pro- 
phets ; I am not come to destroy, bid to fulfil. But I hope 
there is none of us but have better learned Christ, than to 
think that he came to patronize our sins, who was sent to 
bless us by turning away every one of us from our iniquities, 
Acts iii. 26. But how come Christians then to be as bad and 
sinful as other men ? Is it because they are as destitute tis 
other men of all means whereby to become better ? No, this 
cannot possibly be the reason, for nothing can be more 
certain, than that we all have, or at least may, if we wil], 
have whatsoever can any way conduce to the making us 
either holy here, or happy hereafter. We have the way 
that leads thereto revealed to us in the word of God ; we 
have that word frequently expounded and applied to us ■ 
we have all free access, not only to the ordinances which , 
God hath appointed, for our conversion, but even to the 
very sacraments themselves whereby our faith may be con- 
firmed, and our souls nourished to eternal life. And more 
than all this too, we have many gracious and faithful pro- 
mises, that if we do but what we can, God, for Christ's 
sake, will afford us such assistances of his grace and spi- 
rit, whereby we shall be enabled to perform universal obe- 
dience to the moral law, such as God, for Christ's sake, 
will accept of, instead of that perfection which the law re- 
quires. So that now, if we be not all as real and true saints, 
as good and pious Christians as ever lived, it is certainly 
our own faults : for we have all things necessary to the 
making of us such, and if we were not wanting to our- 
selves, it is impossible we should fail of having all our sins 



THOUGHTS UPON WORLDLY RICHES. 223 

subdued under us, and true grace and virtue implanted in 
us. Insomuch that since the Christian religion was first 
revealed to the world, there have been certainly millions of 
souls converted by it, who now are glorified saints in hea- 
ven, which once were as sinful creatures upon earth as we 
now are. But it seems they found the gospel an effectual 
means of their conversion and salvation ; and therefore it 
cannot be imputed to any defect in the gospel, or the Chris- 
tian religion, that we are not all as good men as ever liv- 
ed, and by consequence better than the professors of all 
other religions in the world. 

But what then shall we say to this wonder of wonders, 
that Christians themselves in our age live such loose and 
dissolute lives as generally they do? What shall be the 
reason that all manner of sin and evil should be both prac- 
tised and indulged among us, as much as in the darkest 
corners of the world, upon which the gospel never yet 
shined ? Why, when we have searched into all the reasons 
that possibly can be imagined, next to the degeneracy and 
corruption of our nature, this must needs be acknowledg- 
ed as one of the chief and principal, that men living upon 
earth, and conversing ordinarily with nothing but sensible 
and material objects, they are so much taken up with them, 
that those divine and spiritual truths which are revealed in 
the gospel, make little or no impression at all upon them: 
though they hear what the gospel saith and teacheth, yet 
they are no more affected with it, nor concerned about it, 
than as if they had never heard of it, their affection being all 
bent and inclined only to the things of this world. And 
therefore it is no wonder, that they run with so full a ca- 
reer into sin and wickedness, notwithstanding their profes- 
sion of the gospel, seeing their natural propensity and in- 
clination to the things of this world are so strong and pre- 
valent within them, that they w T ill not suffer themselves to 
think seriously upon, much less to concern themselves 
about any thing else. 

The apostle, in his first epistle to Timothy, chap. vi. en- 
deavouring to persuade men from the over eager desire of 
earthly enjoyments, presses this consideration upon us, 
that such an inordinate desire of the things of this world 
betrays men into many and great temptations, ver. 8, 9. 
And then he gives this as the reason of it, ver. 10. For the 
fove of money is the root of all evil ; that is, in brief, the love 
of riches and temporal enjoyments is the great reason why 

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224 



THOUGHTS UPOX WORLDLY RICHES. 



men are guilty of such great and atrocious crimes as gene- 
rally they are ; there being no evil but what springs from 
this, as from its root and origin ; which is so plain a truth, 
so constantly and universally experienced in all ages, that 
the heathens themselves, the ancient poets and philoso- 
phers, could not but take notice of it. For Bion the phi- 
losopher w T as wont to say, that Philargyria, the love of mo- 
ney, was kakias metropolis, the metropolis of wickedness : 
and Apollodorus, alia shedon te to kcphalaion ton kako?i 
eirkas en philargyria, gar panta eni, When thou speakest of 
the love of money, thou meniionest the head, of all evils, for 
they are all contained in that. To the same purpose is that 
of the poet Phocylides, e dc philochrcmosune meter kakotctos 
apazes, The love of riches is the mother of all nickedncss. 
What these by the light of nature, hath here divine au- 
thority stamped upon it ; God himself asserting the 
same thing by his apostle, riza gar panton ton kakon estin 
e philargyria, The love of money is the root of all evil ; 
w hich, that we may the better understand, we must con- 
sider, 

I. What is here meant by money. 

II. What by the love of riches. 

III. How the love of money is the root of all evil. 

I. As for the first, I need not insist long upon it, all 
men knowing w T ell enough what money is. But w r e must 
remember, that by money is here understood not only sil- 
ver and gold, but all earthly comforts, possessions, and 
enjoyments whatsoever, whether goods, lands, houses, 
wares, wealth, or riches of any sort or kind whatsoever. 

II. By the love of money we are to understand that sin 
"which the scriptures call covetousness ; and the true na- 
ture and notion of it consisteth especially in three things. 

1. In having a real esteem and value for wealth or mo- 
ney, as if it was a thing that could make men happy, or 
better than otherwise they could ; as it is plain all covet- 
ous men have their desire of riches proceeding only from 
a groundless fancy, that their happiness consists in hav- 
ing much, which makes them set a greater value upon 
riches, preferring them before other things, even before 
God himself. Hence the love of money is altogether in- 
consistent with the love of God, 1 John ii. 15. If any man 
love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. It be- 
ing impossible to love God as we ought, above all things, 
and yet to love the world too at the same time. 

2. Hence the love of money supposeth also a delight and 



THOUGJTTS UPON WORLDLY RICHES* 225 

complacency in the having of it, proceeding from the 
aforesaid esteem they have for it ; for, being possessed of a 
fond opinion that the more they have, the better they are, 
they cannot but be pleased with the thoughts of their pre- 
sent enjoyments, as the rich man was in the gospel, Luke 
xii. 16, 17, 18, 19. who, because his ground brought 
forth plentifully, resolved to enlarge his barns, and lay 
up stores for many years, and bid his soul take her ease. 
How many such fools have we amongst us, who please 
and pride themselves with the thoughts of then* being 
rich ? 

3. From this esteem for, and complacency in money or 
wealth, it follows that men are still desirous of having 
more, placing their happiness only in riches ; because they 
think they can never be happy enough, therefore they 
think too they are never rich enough. Hence how much 
soever they have, they still desire more, and therefore co- 
vetousness in scripture is ordinarily expressed by pleoiiecJiia, 
which properly signifies an inordinate desire of having 
more; having which kind of desires can never be satisfied, 
because they are able to desire more than all the world, 
and to raise themselves as high, and as far as the infinite 
Good itself. Now such a love of money as this is, con- 
sisting in having a real esteem for it, in taking pleasure 
and delight in it, in longing and thirsting after it ; this is 
that which the apostle here saith is the root of all evil ; that 
is, the great and principal cause of all sorts of evil that 
men are guilty of, or obnoxious to ; which that I may 
clearly demonstrate to you, we must first know in general 
that there are but two sorts of evil in the world, the evil 
of sin, and the evil of punishment or misery ; and love of 
money is the cause of them both. 

To begin with the evil of sin, which is the only foun- 
tain from whence all other evils flow, and itself doth ceiv 
tainly spring from the love of money ; as much or more 
than from any thing else in the wnole world. Insomuch 
that the greatest part of those sins which any of us ore 
guilty of, proceed from this master sin, even the love of 
money, as might easily be shewn from a particular enume- 
ration of those sins which men are generally addicted to. 
But that I may proceed more clearly and methodically in 
demonstrating this, so as to convince men of the danger of 
this above most other sins, I desire it may be considered 
that there are two sorts of sins that we are guilty of, gins of 

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226 THOUGHTS UPON WORLDLY RICHES. 

omission, and sins of commission, under which two heads 
all sins whatsoever are comprehended. 

First, For sins of omission. It is plain that our love of 
money is the chief and principal cause that makes us neg- 
lect and omit our duties to God and man, as it is manifest 
we most of us do. In speaking unto which I must take 
leave to deal plainly, for it is a matter that concerns our 
eternal salvation ; and therefore how r soever some may re- 
sent it, I am bound in duty and conscience to remind men 
of their sins, and particularly of this great prevailing sin 
of covetoasness, or inordinate love of money, which most 
men give but too much reason to fear they are guilty of ; 
and therefore I may tell them of it, without any breach of 
charity. It is true, I cannot pretend to be a searcher of 
hearts, that is only God's prerogative, and therefore I 
shall not take upon me to judge or censure any particular 
persons ; but I shall speak to all in general, and leave every 
one to make the particular application of it to himself. 
Neither shall I speak of things at random, but I shall in- 
stance only in such sins which I can assert upon my own 
knowledge that most men allow themselves', and that upon 
this account only, because they love money. 

For first, What is the reason that so few r , indeed scarce 
any of us, are at prayers at church upon the week day, to 
perform our devotion to him that made us ? Is it because 
we think it impertinent to pray unto him ? No, our pre- 
sence there on Sunday contradicts that ; and I have more 
charity than to think that any are so atheistical as to ima- 
gine it to be superfluous to pay our homage to the su- 
preme Governor of the world, and to implore his aid 
and blessing upon us. But what then should be the 
reason of it ? In plain terms it is nothing else but because 
men love money, and therefore are loth to spare so much 
time from their sports or callings, as to go to church to 
pray to God for what they want, and praise his name for 
what they have. Let us search into our hearts, and we 
shall acknowledge this to be the only reason of it. But it 
is a very foolish one, for who can bless us but God? 

2. What is the reason that so many neglect the sacra- 
ment of the Lord's supper ? Do we not all look upon it as 
our duty to receive it ? I dare say we do ; Christ himself 
having commanded it, Luke xxii. 1J). and it being the 
only way whereby to manifest ourselves to be Christians ; 
\\hni then can be the reason of tin's neglect of it ? but 
merely the love of money, which makes them both to 
spend time in preparing and fitting themselves for it. 



THOUGHTS UPON WORLDLY RICHES. 227 

But seeing men thus excommunicate themselves by not 
coming to the communion, in plain terms they deserve to 
be excommunicated by the censures of the church. And 
if God should in his providence deprive them of ever hav- 
ing an opportunity of receiving the sacrament again, they 
must even thank themselves for it. Howsoever this shall 
be their present punishment, that they shall be deprived 
of it, until they think it worth their w T hile to come unto 
it. 

3. What is the reason that the sabbath is so profaned ? 
That so many take their recreations upon the Lord's day, 
but because they cannot spare time for it from getting 
money on other days ; thinking the day long, because 
they can get little in it, as Amos viii 5. And why do so 
many profane the sabbath, while at church, by thinking- 
upon the world, but because they love it, Ezek. xxxiii. 1 . 

4. What is the reason that charity is so cold, but that 
the love of money is grown so hot among us ? For do not 
we all know it is our duty to relieve the poor ? Hath not 
God expressly commanded it ? Hath he not threatened a 
curse to them that do it not, and promised a blessing to 
them that do it ? What then can be the reason that so 
many neglect it, but because they love their money more 
than God"? 

To these might be added many other sins, which the 
love of money daily occasions. For w T hat is the reason 
that many read the scriptures so seldom and so cursorily as 
they do ? What is the reason that they either have none^ 
or commonly neglect their family duties? that every slight 
occasion will make them omit their private devotions ; that 
they can find no time to look into their own hearts, to con- 
sider their condition, and meditate upon God and Christ, 
and the world to come. 

What is the reason that many know their shops better 
than their hearts, and are acquainted with the temper of 
their body more than with the constitution of their souls? 
that they are so careful and industrious in the prosecution 
of their worldly designs, so negligent and remiss in look- 
ing after heaven ? What is or can be the reason of these 
things, but that inordinate love and affection they have for 
money, or the things of this world, which makes them so 
eager in the pursuit of them, that they forget they have 
any thing else to mind, and so much taken up with world- 
ly business, that God and Christ, and heaven and soul, 
and all, must give way to it ? Oh the folly and madness of 

K 6 



228 THOUGHTS UPON WORLDLY RICH I 

sinful men ! What a strange corrupt and degenerate thing 
is the heart of man become ! that we should be so foolish 
and unwise, as to prefer our bodies before our souls, earth 
before heaven, toys and trifles before the eternal God, and 
the worst of evils before the best of goods, even sin itself, 
with all the miseries that attend it, before holiness and 
that eternal happiness which is promised to it ! And all for 
nothing else but the love of a little pelf and trash, which 
hath no other worth but what our own distracted fancies 
put upon it. 

And if the love of money be the root of so many sins of 
omission, how many sins of commission must needs sprout 
from it ? Indeed they are so many, that it would be an 
endless thing to reckon them all up, and therefore I shall 
not undertake it, but shall mention only such of them as 
every one, upon the first reading, shall acknowledge to 
be the cursed offspring of this one fruitful and big-bellied 
sin of covetousness, or the love of money ; of which Cicero 
observes, that nullum est officium tarn sanctum aique solemne, 
quod non avaritia comminuere aique violare soleat. So we 
may say on the other side too, that there is no sin so great 
and horrid, but covetousness will sometimes put men upon 
it. 

Is idolatry a sin ? Yea certainly, one of the greatest that 
any man can be guilty of; and yet nothing can be more 
plain than that covetousness, wheresoever it comes, draws it 
along with it, insomuch that every covetous man is as- 
serted by God himself to be an idolater, Eph. v. 5. and 
covetousness to be idolatry itself, Col. iii. 15. And the rea- 
son is plain, for what is idolatry, but to give that worship 
to a creature which is due only unto God ? But what high- 
er acts of worship can we perform to God, than to love 
him, and to trust in him, which it is certain every covet- 
ous man gives to his money, and therefore covetousness 
is called philargyria, the love of money ? And we cannot 
but be all sensible what trust and confidence men are wont 
to repose in their estates and incomes. But such will say, 
we do not fall down before our money, nor pray unto it ; 
but they trust on it, and that is infinitely more than bare 
praying to it : and though they do not bow down before it 
in their bodies, yet they make all the faculties of their souls 
to bow down and stoop unto it ; they love and desire it ; 
they rejoice and delight in having of it ; they are grieved 
and troubled for nothing so much as the parting with it, 
nor fear any thing so much as the losing of it. 



THOUGHTS UPON WORLDLY RICHES. 229 

But they will say again, we do not sacrifice to our bags, 
nor burn incense to our estates ; we never did nor intend 
to offer so much as a lamb or calf unto it ! It is true, they 
do not, but they offer that which is far better, they offer 
the poor to it, suffering them to perish with hunger, thirst, 
and cold, rather than relieve them with that necessary 
maintenance winch God has put into then* hands for them: 
they offer their own bodies to it, exposing them to heats 
and colds, to dangers and hazards both by sea and land, 
and all for money ; yea, they offer their own souls to it 
likewise, as a whole burnt- offering, giving them to lie 
scorching in hell flames to eternity, and that upon no 
other account but to get money ; and tell me which are 
the greatest fools, and most odious idolaters, such as offer 
beasts to the sun and flames, or such as offer themselves 
both soul and body to dirt and clay ? We cannot but all 
acknowledge the latter to be far the worse, and by conse- 
quence the covetous man to be the greatest idolater in the 
world, and that too only because he is a covetous man. 

Moreover, is not extortion and oppression a sin ? And 
yet we all know that it is the love of money that is the only 
cause of it. Is not strife and contention a sin ? whence 
comes it but from our lusting after money ? Jam. iv. 1. 
Is not perjury a sin ? Is not corruption of justice a sin? 
Is not cheating and cozenage a sin ? Is not pride and 
haughtiness a sin? Is not unrighteous dealing betwixt 
man and man a sin ? Is not theft and robbery a sin ? Is not 
treason and rebellion a sin ? Are not all those sins, and 
great ones too ? But whence spring these poisonous fruits 
into the lives of men, but from the bitter roots of covet- 
ousness in their hearts ? It is the love of money that makes 
these sins to rise amongst us : it is this that makes men 
forswear themselves, and cozen others : it is this that 
oft-times makes fathers ruin their children, and children to 
long for the death of their fathers ; it is this that makes 
neighbours go to law, and brethren themselves to be at 
variance ; it is this that makes men strive to over-reach 
each other, and to blind the eyes of those they deal with : 
it is this that hath caused some to murder others, and 
others to destroy themselves. What shall I say more ? 
There is no impiety that can be committed against God, 
nor injury that can be offered unto men, but the love of 
money hath been the cause of it in others, and will be so 
in us, unless it be timely prevented, and therefore it may 
well be termed the root of all the evil of sin. 



230 THOUGHTS UPON WORLDLY RICHER. 

And it being the root from whence all the evil of sin 
springs, it must needs be the root of all the evil of punish- 
ment and misery too, misery and punishment being the ne- 
cessary consequent of sin. Indeed this sin carries its mi- 
sery along with it, as Seneca himself saw by the mere light 
of nature, saying, Nulla avaritia sine poena est, quamvis 
satis sit ipsa poenarum : No avarice is witliout punishment, 
though it be itself punishment enough. For w 7 hat a torment 
is it for a man to be always thirsty, and never able to 
quench his thirst ? Yet this is the misery of every covetous 
man, whose thirst after money can never be satisfied, and 
w r ho is desirous of having more, that he can never enjoy 
w r ith comfort what he hath, loving money so well, that he 
grudgeth himself the use of it. Hence the aforesaid au- 
thor observed, that in nullum avarus bonus est, in seipsum 
pessimus. The covetous man is good to none, but worst to 
himself. And as this is the natural consequent of this sin 
in itself, so it is the ordinary punishment that God inflicts 
upon men for it, not suffering them to take any pleasure 
in the use of what they love, Eccl. vi. 1, 2. And besides 
that, what cares and fears, w r hat labours and travels, what 
dangers and hazards doth the love of money put men 
upon ? How do they rack their brains and break their rest 
to get it ; and when it is gotten, what fears are they al- 
ways in, lest they should lose it again ? What grief and 
trouble do the poor w T retches undergo for every petty loss 
that befalls them ? so that every covetous man is not only 
miserable, but therefore miserable because covetous. 

But if their misery be so great in this life, how great 
Will it be in that to come ? Concerning which there are 
two things to be observed : First, that the very having 
of riches makes it very difficult to get to heaven, Matt. 
xix. 23, 24. 25. Luke xvi. 19, 22. Hence Agur was 
afraid of them, Pro v. xxx. 8. Neither do w r e ever read of 
any of the patriarchs, prophets, or the saints recorded in 
scripture, to have been guilty of this sin, unless Baruch, 
who was reproved for it, Jer. xiv. h. 

And as the having of money makes it difficult to get to 
heaven, so the loving of it makes it impossible to keep out 
of hell. For so long as man is covetous, he is liable to 
every temptation, ready to catch at every bait that the de- 
vil throws before him ; so that he is led by him as he pleas- 
eth, till at length he be utterly destroyed, 1 Tim. vi. <). 
And therefore the same apostle elsewhere tells us, that the 
covetous have no inheritance in the kingdom of God, but 



THOUGHTS UPON WORLDLY RICHES. 231 

the wrath of God will most certainly fall upon them, Eph. 
v. 5, 6. But the wrath of God is the greatest evil of pu- 
nishment that is possible for men to bear : indeed it is that 
which once being incensed makes hell fire. And yet we 
see that the heat of our love to money will enkindle the 
flames of God's wrath against us ; yea, and such flames too 
as will never be quenched, Mark ix. 24. And so for the 
little seeming transient pleasure they take in getting, or 
keeping money now, they must live in misery and con- 
tempt, in shame and torment for evermore. 

Thus now we see that love of money will not only put 
us upon the evil of sin, but it will also bring the evil of 
punishment upon us, both which the apostle here, ver. 9, 
10. imputes to this sin. And therefore he both well may 
and must be understood of both these sorts of evil, when 
he saith, that the love of money is the root of all evil ; which, 
the premises considered, I hope none can deny, and need 
I then heap up more arguments to dissuade men from this 
sin, and to prevail with them to leave doating upon the 
world, and loving of money ? Is not this one argument of 
itself sufficient ? For is it possible for us to indulge our- 
selves in this sin, now we know it is the root of all evil ? 
and that if we still love money, there is no sin so great 
but we may fall into it, and no misery so heavy but it may 
fall upon us. Surely if this consideration will not prevail 
upon us to despise and contemn, rather than to love and 
desire this world, for my part I know not what can. Only 
this I know, that so long as man continue in this sin, all 
writing and preaching will be in vain to them ; and so 
will their hearing be, their going to church, their reading 
the scriptures, their hearing them read and expounded to 
them ; all this will signify nothing, this root of all evil is 
still within us, and will bring forth its bitter fruit do what 
we can. And therefore as we desire to profit by what we 
hear, as ever we desire to avoid any known sin whatsoever, 
to know what happiest means to escape either present tor- 
ment, or eternal misery, as ever we desire to be real 
saints, and to manifest ourselves to be so, to go to heaven, 
and live with God and Christ for ever, let not our affec- 
tions be entangled any longer in the briars and thorns of 
this lower world, let us beware of loving money. If riches 
increase, let us not set our hearts upon them, Psal. Ixii. 10. 
but scorn and despise them hereafter, as much as ever 
heretofore we have desired or loved them. 

But I cannot, I dare not but in charity believe and hope. 



232 THOUGHTS UPON WORLDLY RICHES. 

that by this time my readers are something weaned from 
their doating upon the present world, and desire to know 
how they may, for the future, get off their affections from 
it, so as to have this root of all evil extirpated, and quite 
plucked up from within them. I hope this is the desire of 
all, or at least of most of them ; and therefore I shall now 
endeavour to shew them how they may infallibly accom- 
plish and effect it. In order thereto, 

1. Let such persons often consider with themselves how 
unsuitable the things of this world are for their affections 
and love, which were designed only for the chiefest good. 
When God implanted the affection of love w T ithin us, he 
did not intend it should be the root of all evil, but of all 
good unto us ; and therefore he did not give it us, to place 
it fondly upon such low and mean objects as this world 
presents unto us, but that we should love himself with 
all our hearts and souls, Deut. vi. 5. And surely he infi- 
nitely deserves our love more than such trash can do. 

2. Let them remember that so long as they love mo- 
ney, they may pretend what they please, they do not love 
God, 1 John ii. 15. nor Christ, Matt. <x. 37. Luke xiv. 
I(j. and by consequence they have no true religion at all 
in them, James i. 27. 

3. Let them often read and study our Saviour's sermon 
upon the mount, where he pronounces the meek and low, 
not the rich and mighty, to be blessed, Matt. v. 3, 4. and 
weigh those strong and undeniable arguments which lie 
brings, to prevail upon us not to take thought for the 
world, nor trouble our heads about the impertinent con- 
cerns of this transient life, Matt. vi. 24, 25, 2(), 27, 28. 

4. Let them labour to confirm and strengthen their trust 
and confidence on the promises of God, who hath assured 
us, that if we love and fear him, he will take care of us, 
and provide all things necessary for us, Matt. vi. 33. This 
is the great argument w r hich the apostle uses, Heb. xiii. 5, 6. 

5. Let them remember that they are called to higher 
things than this world is able to afford them : the Chris- 
tian is an high and heavenly calling ; we are called by it, 
and invited to a kingdom and eternal glory, 1 Thess. ii. 
12. and therefore ought not to spend our time about such 
low and paltry trash as riches and wealth. 

G. Let them get above the world, let their conversation 
be in heaven, and then they will soon look down upon all 
things here below as beneath their concern, Vilescunt tcm- 
pcrulia, cum dedderantur aeterna, said St. Gregory. He 



THOUGHTS UPON WORLDLY RICHES, 233 

that seriously thinks upon and desires heaven, cannot but 
vilify and despise earth. O what fools and madmen do 
the blessed angels, and the glorified saints in heaven, think 
us poor mortals upon earth to be, when they see us busy- 
ing ourselves about getting a little refined dirt, and in the 
mean while neglecting the most transcendent glories which 
themselves enjoy, although they be offered to us ! 

7. Let them never suffer the vanity of all things here 
below to go out of their minds, but remember still, that 
get what they can, it is but vanity and vexation of spirit, 
as Solomon himself asserted upon his own experience 
though he to be sure had more than any of us pre likely to 
enjoy. And let them not only often repeat the words, but 
endeavour to get themselves convinced thoroughly of the 
truth of them, which their own experience, duly weighed 
and rightly applied, will soon do. 

8. Let it be their daily prayer to almighty God, that 
he would take off their affections from the world, and in- 
cline them to himself, as David did, saying, " Incline 
my heart to thy testimonies, and not to covetousness," 
Psal. cxix. 36. 

To all these means, let them add the constant and seri- 
ous consideration of what they have here read, that the 
love of money is the root of all evil ; assuring themselves, 
that if they will not believe it now, it is not long before - 
they will all find it but too true by their own sad and wo- 
ful experience, when they shall be stripped of their pre- 
sent enjoyments, and so turn bankrupts in another world, 
where they will be cast into prison without having a far- 
thing to relieve themselves, or so much as a drop of water 
to cool their inflamed tongues. 

By these and such-like means, none of us but may sup- 
press the love of money in us, which is the root of evil, 
and so avoid or prevent all the evil Which otherways will 
proceed from it. Whether any of my readers will be per- 
suaded to use the means or no, I know not ; however let 
me tell them, that if they are loth to strive to get their af- 
fections deadened to the world, it is an infallible sign that 
they are too much in love with it, and that this root and 
seed of all manner of evil remains in them ; nor can it be 
expected they will be persuaded to any one duty whatso- 
ever, until they are first prevailed upon to do this, even to 
mortify their lusts and affections to the things of this 
world. For so long as those are predominant within us, 
no grace whatsoever can be exerted, nor duty performed, 
nor any sin avoided by us. 



234 THOUGHTS UPON WORLDLY RICHES. 

But oh how happy would it be, if it should please the 
most high God to set what I have here said home upon 
any, as to induce them to set themselves seriously for the 
future to the eradicating or rooting up this love of money 
out of their hearts ? What a holy, what a blessed, what a 
peculiar people should we then be, and how zealous of 
good works ! Then w r e should take all opportunities/^ per- 
forming our devotions to almighty God : then we should 
have as many to the sacrament as at a sermon ; then our 
churches would be filled all the week, as well as on Sun- 
days, and the eternal God constantly worshipped w ith re- 
verence and godly fear : then we shall take delight in cloth- 
ing the naked, feeding the hungry, and relieving the op- 
pressed : then there would be no such thing as cheating 
and cozenage, as lying and perjury, as strife and conten- 
tion amongst us. But we should all walk hand and hand 
together in the way of piety, justice, and charity upon 
earth, until at length w 7 e shall come to heaven, where we 
shall be so far from loving and desiring money, that we 
shall account it as it is, even dross and dirt ; w r here our 
affection shall be wholly taken up with the contemplation 
of the chiefest good, and we shall solace ourselves in the 
enjoyment of his perfections for evermore. 



THOUGHTS UPON WORLDLY 
RICHES. 

SECTION II. 

71PIMOTHY, after his conversion to the Christian faith, 
-■- being found to be a man of great parts, learning, and' 
piety, and so every way qualified for the work of the mi- 
nistry, St. Paul, who had planted a church at Ephesus, 
the* metropolis or chief city of all Asia, left him to dress 
and propagate it, after his departure from it ; giving him 
power to ordain elders or priests, and visit and to exercise 
jurisdiction over them, to see they did not teach false doc- 
trines, 1 Tim. i. 3. That they be unblameable in their 
lives and conversations, 1 Tim. v. 7- And to exercise au- 
thority over them, in case they be otherwise, 1 Tim. v. 
i 9. And therefore it cannot in reason but be acknowledg- 
ed that Timothy was the bishop, superintendant, or visi- 
tor of all the Asian churches, as he was always asserted to 
have been by the fathers of the primitive church, as Fan 



THOUGHTS UPON WORLDLY RICHES. 235 

sebius reports, saying, Timotkeos ies en Epheso paroicias 
cstoritai protos tes en episcopen eilechenai, that Timothy 
is reported to have been the first bishop of the province of 
Ephesus. Be sure he had the oversight of all the churches 
that were planted there ; and not only in Ephesus itself, 
but likewise in all Asia, which was subject to his ecclesi- 
astical power and jurisdiction. 

And hence it is that the apostle St. Paul, in his first 
epistle to him, gives him directions how to manage so great 
a work, and to discharge so great a trust as was committed 
to him, both as bishop and priest ; both how to ordain and 
govern others, and likewise how to preach himself the 
gospel of Christ. And having spent the whole epistle in 
directions of this sort, in the close of it, as it were at the 
foot of the epistle, he subjoins one general caution to be 
observed by him : Charge them that are rich, &c. Which 
words, though first directed to Timothy, were in him in- 
tended ? for all succeeding ministers and preachers of the 
gospel ; such I mean who are solemnly ordained and set 
apart for this work. We are all obliged to observe the 
command which is here laid upon us, as without which we 
are never likely to do any good upon them that hear us : 
for so long as then* minds are set altogether upon riches, 
and the things of this' world, we may preach our hearts 
out before we can ever persuade them to mind heaven and 
eternal happiness in good earnest. This St. Paul knew 
well enough, and therefore hath left this not only as his 
advice and counsel, but as a strict command and duty in- 
cumbent upon the preachers of the gospel in all ages, that 
they charge them that are rich, &c. Where it must be ob- 
served in the first place how we are expressly enjoined 
to charge them that are rich, &c. a word much to be ob- 
served. The apostle doth not say, desire, beseech, coun- 
sel, or admonish the rich, but paraggelle tois plousiois, 
charge and command them that are rich. The word pro- 
perly signifies such a charge as the judges at an assize or 
sessions make in the king's name, enjoining his subjects 
to observe the established laws and statutes of the kingdom. 
And so the word is always used in scripture for the strict- 
est way of commanding any thing to be observed or done, 
as Acts v. 28. ou paraggelia pareggeilamcn kumin : Did 
we not strictly command you, Luke v. 14. pareggeillen auto. 
He charged him to tell no man. Thus therefore it is that we 
are here enjoined to charge the rich in the name of the 
King of kings, not to be high-minded, nor to trust in un« 
certain riches, &c, 



236 THOUGHTS UPON WORLDLY RICHES. 

And this is the proper notion, and the only true way of 
preaching the word of God, which therefore in scriptures 
is ordinarily expressed by the word kerussein, which pro* 
perly signifies to publish or proclaim, as heralds do, the 
will and pleasure of the prince, and in his name to com- 
mand the people to observe it. Thus we are enjoined to 
preach the word of God, by publishing his will and plea- 
sure to men ; charging them in his name to obey and 
practise it. For we come not to them in our own names, 
but in his that created and redeemed them ; and therefore 
although we neither have, nor pretend to any power or au- 
thority over them, from ourselves, yet by virtue of the com- 
mission which we have received from the universal and 
supreme monarch of the world, we not only lawfully may, 
but are in duty bound, to charge and enjoin all in his 
name, to observe what he hath commanded them. Inso- 
much, that although we pretend not to divine inspiration, 
or immediate revelations from God, such as the prophets 
had ; yet we, preaching the same word which they did, 
may, and often ought to use the same authority which they 
used, saying, as they did, Thus saith the Lord of hosts ; 
for whatsoever is written in the scriptures, is as certainly 
God's word now, as it was when first inspired or revealed 
to them. And therefore it cannot be denied, but that we 
have as much power to charge upon all the observation of 
what is there written, as they ever had, we being sent 
to preach and proclaim the will of God unto all, by the 
same person as they were. Hence it is that the apostle in 
the name of God commands Titus, and in him all succeed- 
ing ministers of the gospel, to speak or preach the word of 
God, to exhort and rebuke all with authority, Tit. ii. 15. 
From whence nothing can be more plain, that it is our 
duty to preach with authority, as those who have received 
pow T er from God to make known his will and pleasure to 
all men ; or as the apostle here expressly words it, to 
charge them not to be high-minded, and the like. 

But this I fear may be a very ungrateful subject to 
many, and therefore I should not have insisted so long 
upon it, but that there is a kind of necessity for it. For 
I verily believe, that the non-observance of this hath been, 
and still is, the principal reason why people receive so lit- 
tle benefit by hearing of sermons as they usually do : for 
they look upon sermons only as popular discourses, re- 
hearsed by one of their fellow-creatures, which they may 
censure, approve, or reject, as themselves see good. And 



THOUGHTS UPON WORLDLY, RICHES. 237 

we ourselves, I fear, have been too faulty, or at least re- 
miss, in this particular ; in that when we preach, w r e ordi- 
narily make a long harangue or oration concerning some 
point in polemical, dogmatical, or practical divinity, and 
use only some moral persuasions to press upon our audi- 
tors the observance of what we say, without interposing or 
exercising the authority which is committed to us, so as to 
charge them in the name of the most high God, to observe 
and practise, what we declare and prove unto them to be 
his will, and by consequence their duty. But for my own 
part, did I think that preaching consisted only in explain- 
ing some points in divinity, and using only moral argu- 
ments to persuade men to perform their duty to God and 
man, I should not think it worth my while to do it, be- 
cause I could not expect to do any good at all by it. For 
all the moral arguments in the world can never be so strong 
to draw us from sin, as our natural corruptions are to 
drive us into it. And therefore we can never expect to 
do any good upon men, either by our logic, or rhetoric ; 
but our arguments must be fetched from "on high, even 
from the eternal God himself, or else they are never like- 
ly to profit or prevail upon them. We must charge and 
command them in God's name, or else we had as good 
say nothing. 

It is true, did we, who preach God's word, propose no- 
thing else to ourselves, but to tickle men's ears and please 
their fancies, and so to ingratiate ourselves into then* love 
and favour, it would be easy to entertain them with dis- 
courses of another nature, stuffed with such fine words, 
quaint phrases, and high notions, as would be very pleas- 
ing and acceptable unto them. But I must take leave to 
say, that we dare not do it ; for we know that as our au- 
ditors must give an account of their hearing, so it is not long 
before we must also give an account of our preaching too; 
for so God himself hath told us beforehand by his apostle, 
Heb. xiii. 17- But how shall we be able to look the eter- 
nal God in the face, yea or to look our auditors in the face 
at that time, if instead of charging their duty upon them, 
in order to their eternal salvation, we should put them off 
with general discourses, which signifying nothing, only 
to please and gratify them w T hilst we remain with them? 
No, we dare not do it, and therefore I wish men would 
not expect it from us; for we must not hazard our own 
eternal salvation, to gain their temporal favour and ap- 
plause. And therefore seeing God hath been pleased to 



233 THOUGHTS UPON WORLDLY RICHES. 

entrust us so far with men's souls, as to direct them in the 
way to eternal life : howsoever they resent it, w r e are 
bound in duty, both to God, to them, and to ourselves, to 
deal plainly with them, and to use the authority which 
he hath here committed to us, where he hath expressly 
commanded us in his name, to charge them that are rich 
in this world, &c. 

Where I desire the reader to observe in the next place, 
that w r e of the clergy are not only empowered to charge 
the poorer, or meaner sort of people, who, by reason of 
their extreme poverty and want, may seem inferior to us, 
but even rich men too ; charge them, saith the apostle, 
that are rich in this world. And the reason is, because we 
come unto them in his name, who gives them all the riches 
they do enjoy, and can take them away again when he 
himself pleaseth ; so that he can make the poor rich, and 
the rich poor, when he pleaseth; and therefore the poor 
and rich are all alike to him ; his power and authority is 
the same over both ; and therefore we, coming in his 
name, are ordered to make no distinction, but to charge 
the one as w T ell as the other ; yea, here w r e are particular- 
ly commanded, to charge them that are rich. 

Which is the next thing to be considered in these words, 
even whom the apostle means by them that are rich in this 
world ? Which is a question that needs a serious resolu- 
tion. For many men, not thinking themselves as yet to 
be rich enough, will be apt to "conclude from thence that 
they are not to be reckoned amongst those whom the apos- 
tle here calls rich in this world. But whatsoever they may 
think of themselves, I believe there are but a few, ex- 
cept the very poor, w r ho in a scripture sense are not rich 
men ; for whatsoever any have over and above their ne- 
cessary maintenance, that the scriptures call riches, as is 
plain from Agur's wish, give me neither poverty nor riches, 
feed me with food convenient for me, Prov. xxx. 8. From 
whence it is easy to observe, that as nothing but the w r ant 
of convenient food is poverty ; so whatsoever a man hath 
over and above his own convenient or necessary food, is 
properly his riches ; and so he that hath it, is in a scrip- 
ture sense a rich man, and is therefore called here in my 
text plousios, quasi polousios, one that hath much sub- 
stance, or more than he hath necessary occasion for. And 
therefore although some may be richer than others, yet I 
believe the generality may justly be reckoned in the num- 
ber of rich men here spoken of; at least all such as, by 



THOUGHTS UPON WORLDLY RICHES. 539 

the blessing of God, have not only what is necessary for 
their present maintenance, but likewise something to spare, 
and so may all come under the notion of those whom we 
are here commanded to charge not to be high-minded, nor 
trust in uncertain riches, &c. 

Having thus considered the act which we are here com- 
manded to exert, and the object, the rich of this world, 
w r e are now to consider the subject-matter, w T hat that is 
w r hich we are here commanded to charge upon them ; but 
that is here expressly set down in several particulars, all 
which I shall endeavour to explain as they lie in order. 

I. That they be not high-minded ; a necessary caution 
for rich men. For riches are very apt to puff men up with 
vain and foolish conceits of themselves, so as to think them- 
selves to be so much the better, by how much they are 
richer than other people ; but this is a grand mistake, 
which we are here enjoined to use the utmost of our power 
and skill to rectify, by charging them that are rich not to 
be high-minded ; that is, not to think highly and proudly of 
themselves, because they are richer or wealthier than 
other men, but to be every way as humble in their own 
eyes, and as lowly-minded in the enjoyment of all tempo- 
ral blessings, as if they enjoyed nothing : as considering, 
1 . Flow much soever they have, they are no way really the 
better for it. 

1st, Not in their souls ; they are never the wiser nor 
holier, nor more acceptable unto God, by their being rich, 
Feci. ix. 1 . Job. xix. 

%dly, Nor in their bodies ; they are never the stronger, 
nor healthier, nor freer from pain and trouble, nor yet 
longer lived than others. 

Sdly, Nor in their minds ; their consciences are never 
the* quieter, their hearts never the freer from cares and 
fears, neither can they sleep better than other people^ 
Eccl. v. 12. 

Mhly, Nor yet in their estate and condition. 
First % Not in this life. For riches can never satisfy 
them, nor by consequence make them happy ; but they 
may still be as miserable in the enjoyments, as in the want 
of all things, Eccl. v. 11. 

Secondly, Nor yet in the life to come ; they are never 
the nearer heaven, by being higher upon earth ; their gold 
and silver can never purchase an inheritance for them in 
the land of Canaan, Jam. hi. 5. 

2. They are so far from being better, that they are ra- 
ther much worse for their having abundance here below. 



240 THOUGHTS UPON WORLDLY RICHES. 

1st, They have more temptations to sin, to luxury, to 
covetousness, to the love of this world, to the neglect of 
their duty to God, to pride and self-conceitedness, to fe- 
rity and presumption, Luke xii. 1 9- 

2dly, It is harder for them to get to heaven, than it is 
for others ; and, by consequence, the richer they are, the 
more danger they are in of being miserable for ever, Matt. 
xix. 23. Whence our Saviour himself denounceth a woe 
upon them that are rich, Luke vi. 24. and James bids 
them weep and howl for their miseries, Jam. v. 1. And 
therefore advises us to rejoice rather at poverty than riches, 
Jam. i. 9> 10» Nov/ these things being considered as spo- 
ken by God himself, none can deny but that the rich are 
certainly in a worse condition than the poor ; and by con- 
sequence, that men have no cause to be proud or high- 
minded, nor to glory in their riches, Jer. ix. 2 3. And 
therefore whatsoever outward blessings God hath be- 
stowed upon us, Let its not be highminded bid fear, Rom. 
xi. 20. 

II. Nor trust in uncertain riches, which I confess is a 
very hard lesson for a rich man to learn, nothing being 
more difficult than to have riches, and not to trust in them, 
as our Saviour himself intimates ; in explaining the one by 
the other, as things very rarely severed, Mark x. 23, 24. 
But certainly it is altogether as foolish a thing to trust in 
riches, as it is to be proud of them. For, 

1. They of themselves can stand us in no stead, they 
cannot defend us from any evil, nor procure us any good : 
they cannot of themselves either feed us, or clothe us, or 
refresh us, or be any ways advantageous to us, without 
God's blessing, Prov. xi. 4. How much less can they be 
able to deliver us from the wrath to come ? No, we may 
take it for a certain truth, our riches may much further 
our eternal misery, but they can never conduce any thing 
to our future happiness. 

2. If we trust in them, be sure they will fail us, and 
bring us to eternal misery and desolation ; for to trust in 
any thing but God is certainly one of the highest sins we 
can be guilty of, it is in plain terms idolatry, He that 
trusteth in riches is sure to fall, Prov. xi. 28. For this is to 
deny God, Job xxxi. 24, 25, 28. 

3. They are but uncertain riches, they make themselves 
wings and fly away, Prov. xxiii. 5. They are in continual 
motion, ebbing and flowing, and never continuing in one 
stay. So that you are never sure of keeping them one 

2 



THOUGHTS UPON WORLDLY ftlCHES. 24-i 

day ; and what reason then can we have to trust on them ? 
especially considering, that they are not only uncertain , 
but uncertainty itself, as the word here signifies, trust not 
in the uncertainty of riches, 

But in the living God ; he, he is to be* the only object 
of our trust, whether we have, or have not any thing else 
to trust on ; or to speak more properly, there is nothing 
that we can, upon good grounds, make our trust and confi- 
dence, but only him who governs and disposeth of all things 
according to his own pleasure. So that it is he, and he alone 
that giveth us all things richly to enjoy. It is not our wit 
or policy, it is not our strength or industry, it is not our 
trading and trafficing in the world, it is none but God that 
giveth us what we have, Deut. viii. 18. Pro v. x. 22. And 
as it is he that maketh men rich, so he can make them poor 
again, when he himself pleaseth ; and they have cause to 
fear he will do so too, unless they observe what is charged 
upon them. 

There are four duties still behind, which we are here 
commanded to charge all those who are rich to observe. 

I. That they do good. In treating of which I might shew 
the several qualifications required to the making up of an 
action good ; as that the matter of it must be good, as com- 
manded,, or at least allowed by God : that the manner of 
performing it be good, as that it be done obediently, un- 
der standingly, willingly, cheerfully, humbly, and sin- 
cerely ; and that the end be good too, so as that it be di- 
rected ultimately to the glory of God. But not to insist 
upon that now, I shall only consider what kind of good 
works the rich are here commanded to do, as they are rich 
men. And they are two, works of piety, and works of 
charity. 

1. They are here commanded to do works of piety; 
where by works of piety, I mean, not their loving and 
fearing, and honouring of God, nor yet their praying to 
him, their hearing his word, or praising his name, for 
such works of piety as these are, the poorest as well as 
the richest persons amongst us are bound to do ; whereas 
the apostle here speaks only of such works as they Mho 
are rich are bound to do, upon that account because they 
are so. And therefore by works of piety here, I under- 
stand such works as tend to the honour of his name, to ths 
performance of worship and homage to him, to the encou- 
ragement of his ministers, the propagating of his gospel, 
and the conversion of sinners to him ; all which thev are 

L 



242 THOUGHTS UPON WORLDLY RICHES'* 

bound to do, to the utmost of their power, out of the 
estates, which for these purposes he hath entrusted with 
them. For thus they are expressly commanded to ho- 
nour the Lord with their substance, or riches, and with 
the first fruits of all their increase, Prov. iii. 9. And the 
reason is, because God is the universal Proprietor, the head 
Landlord of all the world, and we have nothing but what 
we hold under him ; neither are we any more than tenants 
at will to him, who may fine us at his own pleasure, or throw 
us out of possession whensoever he sees good. Now lest 
we should forget this, even upon what tenure it is that we 
hold our estates, God hath enjoined us to pay^him, as it 
were, a quit-rent or tribute out of what we possess, as an 
acknowledgment that it is by his favour and blessing alone 
that we do possess it. So that whatsoever we do, or are 
able to offer him, is but a due debt which we owe him ; 
which if we neglect to pay him, we lose our tenure, and 
forfeit what we have to the Lord of the manor, the su- 
preme possessor of the world. Hence it is, that in all 
ages, they who were truly pious, and had a due sense of 
God upon their hearts, were always very careful to pay 
this their homage unto God ; insomuch that many of them 
never thought they could give enough to any pious use, 
wherein to testify their acknowledgment of God's domi- 
nion over them, and his right and property in what they 
had. A noble instance whereof we have in the children 
of Israel ; for when the tabernacle was to be built for the 
service and worship of God, they were so far from being- 
backward in contributing towards it, that they presently 
brought more than could be used in the building of it, 
Exod. xxxvi. 5, 6, 7. So it was too in the building of the 
temple, which David and the chiefs or nobles of Israel 
made great preparation for, 1 Chron. xxix. 6, 7, 8. And 
that they did this, thereby to acknowledge God to be the 
TLord and giver of all, is plain from the following words, 
ver. 11, 12, IS. The same was also observed in the build- 
ers of the second temple, as the raising the first out of its 
rubbish, wherein it had lain for many years. And as for 
Christians, I need not tell you how forward those who 
have been truly pious, have always been in doing such 
works of piety, since most of the churches in Christendom, 
or be sure in this nation, have been erected by particular 
persons. And it is very observable, that the more eminent 
any place or age have been for piety and devotion, the 
more pious works have been always done in it, for the 



THOUGHTS UPON WORLDLY RICHES. £43 

service and worship of almighty God ; which plainly 
shews, that where such works are wanting, whatsoever 
pretences they may make, there is no such thing as true 
piety, and the fear of God. And therefore, as ever we 
desire to manifest ourselves to be what we profess, true 
Christians indeed, men fearing God, and hating covet- 
ousness, we must take all opportunities to express our 
thankfulness unto God for what we have, by devoting as 
much as we can of it to his service and honour. 

2. Besides these works of piety towards God, the rich 
are enjoined also works of charity towards the poor ; which 
though they have an immediate reference to the poor, yet 
God looks upon them as given to himself, Prov. xi v. S 1 . 
chap. xix. 17. Matt. xxv. 40. Hence it is that God ac- 
cepts of such works as these also, for part of the tribute 
which we owe him ; whereby we acknowledge the re- 
ceipt of what we have from him, and express our thank- 
fulness unto him for it, without which we have no ground 
to expect a blessing upon what we have, nor that it should 
be really good to us : for, as the apostle tells us, every 
creature of God is good, if it he received with thanksgiving, 
not else, 1 Tim. iv. 4. But no thanksgiving is acceptable 
but that which is expressed by works as well as words. 
And therefore it is necessary for us to pay this duty and 
service to God, out of what we have, in order to the cleans- 
ing and sanctifying the residue of our estates unto us, 
without which we have not the lawful use of what we pos- 
sess, but every thing we have is polluted and unclean to 
us, as our Saviour himself intimates, Luke xi. 41. A 
thing much to be considered. For [ verily believe that- 
the great reason why so many estates are blasted so soon, 
and brought to nothing amongst us, is because men do 
not render unto God their duty and tribute out of what 
they have ; and therefore it is no wonder that God in his 
providence turns them out of their possession, and give* 
their estates to other persons who shall be better tenants to 
him, and be careful to pay him the duties which he re- 
quires of them. And therefore, in order to men's secur- 
ing their estates to themselves and posterity, it is abso- 
lutely necessary that they observe the duty which w r e are 
here recommended to charge upon all that are rich in this 
world, even to do good with what they have ; and not 
only so, but, 

II. To be rich in good works, that is, not only to do 
good, but to do as much good as they are able with their 
4 L 2 



244 THOUGHTS UPON WORLDLY RICHES*. 

riches, so as to proportion their good works to the riche 
which God hath given them wherewith to do them, ac* 
cording to the apostle's directions, 1 Cor. xvi. 2. Thus in 
the place before quoted, Luke xi. 41. where our Saviour 
bids the Pharisees to give alms of such things as they have, 
his words are, ta enonta dote eleemosynen, give alms as you 
are able, for so the words properly signify. And verily 
whatsoever we do, unless it be as much as we can, God 
will not look upon us as doing any thing at all : for we - 
must not think to compound with him. When he hath 
given us all we have, he expects that we render all that 
he requires of us, that is, as much as we are able to pay 
unto him. As if a man owes you money, you will not ac- 
cept of part instead of the whole ; so neither will God - 
from us ; we all owe him as much as we are able to devote 
to his service and honour, and we must not think to put 
him off with part of it ; for he reckons that he receives no- 
thing from us, unless it be proportionable to what he hath 
bestowed upon us. But how little soever it is that we 
give or offer to him, if it be but answerable to our estates, 
it v. ill be accepted by him. This our Saviour himself hath 
assured us of, Matt. xii. 43, 44. From whence w T e may 
certainly conclude, that there is not the poorest person 
whatsoever, but may be rich in good works as the richest, 
because God doth not measure the goodness of our works 
by their bulk or quantity, but by the proportion w r hich 
they bear to our estates ; so that he who gives a penny, 
may do as good a work as he who gives a pound ; yea, I 
and a better too, because his may be as much as he is able, \ 
whereas the other's is not ; I wish all men may seriously \ 
weigh and consider this, lest otherwise they go out of the f 
w T orld without ever having done one good work in it : for 
we may assure ourselves, he that is not thus rich in good 
w r orks, doth no good at all with his riches. 

But it is farther to be considered here, that this expres* 
sion, rich in good works, implies that good works are in- 
deed our principal riches ; and that men must not compute 
their riches so much from what they have, as from what 
they give and devote to God. For what we have is not 
ours, but God's in our hands, but what w r e give is ours in 
God's hands, and he acknowledged! himself our debtor 
for it, in that he tells us that we lend it to him, and pro- 
miseth to pay it to us again, Prov. xix. 17. And there- 
fore they who cast up their accounts to know how rich 
they are, oe^ht not to reckon upon what they have lying 



.1 



THOUGHTS UPON WORLDLY RICHES. .245 

by them, nor upon their houses and lands that are made 
over to them, nor yet upon what is owing to them by 
men ; but should reckon only upon what they have given 
to pious and charitable uses, upon what treasure they have 
laid up in heaven. For whatsoever they may think at 
present, I dare assure them, that w T ill be found to be their 
only riches another day. And therefore if any one de- 
sires to be rich indeed, let him take my advice, do what 
good he can with the riches he hath, and then he will be 
rich enough ; for this is the way to be rich in good works. 
But in order unto that, he must likewise observe what 
follows : to be 

III. Reach/ to distribute ; that is, ready upon all occa- 
sions to pay his tribute unto God, whensoever he in his 
providence calls for it ; taking all opportunities of doing- 
good, and glad when he can find them, Gal. vi. 7- Thus 
therefore whensoever any opportunities present themselves 
of expressing our thankfulness unto God, by works either 
of piety or charity, whatsoever other businesses maybe 
neglected we must be sure to lay hold on that. For I dare 
say, that there is none but will grant me, that there is 
all the reason in the world that God should be served in 
the first place, and that he should have the first fruits of 
all our increase, Frov. iii. 9- Exod. xxiii. 1Q. Deut. xxvi. 
2. And therefore w T e cannot but acknowledge, that works 
of piety towards God, and of charity to the poor, or as the 
scripture calls them in general good works, are always to 
be done in the first place ; and whatsoever other works 
may be omitted, be sure they must not. But we ought 
still to be as ready to pay our duties unto God, aswe are 
to receive any thing from him, as ready to give as to re- 
ceive ; and by consequence as men let no opportunities slip 
wherein they can increase their estates, they are much less 
to let any opportunities pass wherein they can any w ay im- 
prove their estates for God's glory and other's good ; that 
they ought to be ready upon all occasions to distribute what 
they can upon charitable and pious uses. 

IV. Willing to communicate. As we must do it with a 
ready hand, so we must do it with a willing heart too. 
Thus we are enjoined to serve God willingly, 1 Chron. 
xxviii. 6. and cheerfully, 2 Cor. ix. 6, 7- "indeed God 
accepts of none but free-will-offerings. If w T e be not as 
willing to do good works as we are to have wherewith to 
do them, we may be confident God will never accept of 
them. And therefore in plain terms, if any would be rich 

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£46 THOUGHTS UPON WORLDLY RICHES. 

in good works as becometh Christians, and as it is our in- 
terest to be, they must not stay till they be compelled, 
persuaded, or entreated by others to do them ; but they 
must set upon them of their own accord, out of pure obe- 
dience unto God, and from a due sense of their constant 
dependance upon him, and manifest obligations to him ; 
yea, so as to take pleasure in nothing in the world so much 
as in paying their respects and service to almighty God, 
1 Chron. xxix. 14, 15, 17- 

Now to encourage the rich to employ their estates thus 
in doing good, the apostle adds in the last place, that this 
is the way to lay up for themselves a good foundation against 
the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life. A 
strange expression ! yea, such an one, that had not St. 
Paul himself spake it, some would have been apt to have 
excepted against it for an error or mistake. What, good 
works the foundation of eternal life ? No, that is not the 
meaning of it ; but that good works are the foundation of 
that blessed sentence which they shall receive who are 
made partakers of eternal life, as is plain from our Savi- 
our's own words, Matt. xxv. 34, 35, 36. 

And verily, although there be no such intrinsic value in 
good works, whereby they that do them can merit any 
thing from God by their doing of them ; yet nothing can 
be more certain, than that God of his infinite mercy in Je- 
sus Christ, w T ill so accept of them as to reward us for them 
in the world to come. For this our Saviour himself doth 
clearly intimate to us in the place before quoted; as also 
Matt. vi. 20. Luke xii. 33. xvi. 9. that is, distribute a id 
employ the unrighteous or deceitful riches you have in 
this world in such a way as is most pleasing and accepta- 
ble unto God, that so he niay be your friend, and receive 
you into everlasting habitations, when these transient and 
unstable riches fail you. From whence I beg leave to ob- 
serve, that to do good with what we have, is the only way 
whereby to improve our estates for our own good, so as to 
be the better for them both in this and also in the world to 
come. The Rabbins have a good saying, that barach had* 
jein, good works are the salt of riches, that which pre- 
serves them from corruption and makes them savoury and 
acceptable unto God, as also useful and profitable to the 
owners ; unless we do good with our estates, we forfeit 
our title to them by the non-payment of the rent-charge 
which God hath reserved to himself upon them ; and 
therefore we may justly expect every moment to be cast 



THOUGHTS UPON WORLDLY RICHES. 24? 

out of possession ; or howsoever though he may forbear us 
a while, yea, so long as we are in tins world, what good 
what benefit, what comfort shall we have of our estates in 
the world to come ? Certainly no more than the rich man 
in the gospel had when he lay scorching in hell-fire, and 
had not so much as a drop of water to cool his inflamed 
tongue. Whereas on the other side, if we do good with 
our estates, if we devote them to the service of God, and 
to the relief of the poor, by this means we shall not only 
secure the possession of them to ourselves here, but shall 
also receive comfort and benefit from them in the world 
to come ; so that our estates will not die with us, but we 
shall receive benefit by them, and have cause to bless God 
for them unto all eternity ; the apostle himself assuring us, 
that by this means we shall lay up for ourselves a good foun- 
dation for the time to come, so as to lay hold on eternal life. 

This one argument being duly weighed, I hope I need 
not use any more to persuade men to do good with what 
they have, and to make the best use of it they can. For 
I know 1 write to Christians, at least to such as profess 
^themselves to be so ; and therefore to such as believe there 
is another world besides this we live in, and by conse- 
quence that it concerns them to provide for that, which, 
as I have shewn, we may do in a plentiful manner, by the 
right improvement of what God hath entrusted with us in 
this world. What then do the generality of men mean to 
be so slack and remiss in laying hold of all opportunities 
of doing good ! What, do they think it possible to lose any 
thing they do for God ? or do they think it possible to em- 
ploy their estates better than for his service and honour 
who gave them to us ! I cannot believe they think so ; 
and therefore must needs advise the rich again and again, 
not to lay up their talents in a napkin, but to use their 
estates to the best advantage for God and their own souls ; 
soNthat when they go from hence into the other world, 
they may be received into eternal glory, with a well done, 
good andfaithful servants, enter into your master' 's joy. 

But fearing lest these moral persuasions may not prevail 
so much upon my readers as I desire they might, they 
must give me leave further to tell them, that I am here 
commanded to charge them that are rich in this world, to 
be rich also in good works : and therefore, seeing, as I 
have shewn, there are few but who in a scripture sense 
are rich in this world ; in obedience to this command 
which is here laid upon me, in the name of the most high 

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248 THOUGHTS UPON SELF-DENIAL. 

God, I charge you, and not I only, but the eternal God 
himself, he wills and requires all those whom he hath 
blessed with riches in this world, That they be not high- 
minded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but that they put 
their whole trust and confidence only in the living God, 
whose all things are, and who gives us whatsoever we 
have : that they do good with what he hath put into their 
hands, laying it out upon works of piety towards him, and\ 
of charity to the poor, that his worship may be decently 
performed, and the poor liberally relieved ; that they be 
rich in good works, striving to excel each other in doing 
good in their generation ; that they be ready every mo- 
ment to distribute, and always wiDing to communicate to 
every good work, wherein they can pay their homage., 
and express their thankfulness to him for what they have* 



• ^/*.%/V*/V^*-^%V%V»> 



THOUGHTS UPON SELF-DENIAL, 

x Y I ^ HE most glorious sight, questionless, that was ever \$0 
r*- be seen upon the face of the earth, was to see the Son 
of God here, to see the supreme Being and Governor of 
the world here ; to see the Creator of all things convers- 
ing here with his own creatures ; to see God himself with 
the nature and in the shape of man, walking about upon 
the surface of the earth; and discoursing with silly mor- 
tals here ; and that with so much majesty and humility 
mixed together, that every expression might seem a de- 
monstration that lie was both God and man. It is true, 
we were not so happy as to see this blessed sight ; how- 
soever, it is our happiness that we have heard of it, and 
have it so exactly described to us, that we may as clearly 
apprehend it as if we had seen it : yea, our Saviour 
himself hath pronounced those in a peculiar manner bless- 
ed, who have not seen, and yet have believed, John xx. 29* 
that is, who never saw Christ in the manger, nor in the 
temple, who never saw him prostrate before his Father in 
the garden, nor fastened by men unto his cross ; who ne- 
ver saw him preaching the gospel nor working miracles to 
confirm it ; who never saw him before his passion, nor af- 
ter his resurrection ; and do as firmly believe whatsoever 
is recorded of him, as if they had seen it with their eyes, 
Such persons our blessed Saviour himself asserts to be truly 



w 



T*H0UGHT3 UPON SELF-DENIAL. 24[j 

blessed, as having such a faith as is the substance of things 
hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen, Heb. xi. 1. 

Hence therefore, although we lived not in our Saviour's 
time, and therefore saw him not do as never man did, nor 
heard him speak as never man spake, we may notwith- 
standing be as blessed, or rather more blessed than they 
that did ; if we do but give credit to what is asserted of 
him, and receive and believe what is represented to us in 
his holy gospels, where by faith we may still see him work- 
ing miracles, and hearing him declaring his will and plea- 
sure to his disciples, as really as if we had then been by 
him. And therefore whatever we read in the gospel that lie 
spake, we are to hearken as diligently to it, as if we 
heard him speak it with our own ears, and be as careful 
in the performance of it, as if we had received it from his 
own mouth ; for so we do, though not immediately, yet 
by the infallible pen of them that did so. And seeing he 
never spake in vain or to no purpose, nor suffered an idle 
or superfluous word to proceed out of his sacred and divine 
mouth ; whatsoever he asserted, we are to look upon as 
necessary to be believed, because he asserted it. And 
hatsoever he commanded, we are to look upon as ne- 
cessary to be observed, because he hath commanded it ; 
for we must not think that his assertions are so frivolous, 
or his commands so impertinent, that it is no great matter 
whether we believe the one and obey the other or no : no. 
if we expect to be justified and saved by him, he expects to 
be believed and obeyed by us, without which he will not 
look upon us as his disciples, nor by consequence as Chris- 
tians, but as strangers and aliens- to him, whatsoever our 
professions and pretences are. 

It is true, we live in an age wherein Christianity in the 
general notion of it is highly courted, and all sects and par- 
ties amongst us making their pretences to it ; whatsoever 
opinions or circumstances they differ in, be sure they all 
agree in the external profession of the Christian religion, 
and by consequence in the knowledge that they ought to 
be Christians indeed. But I fear that men are generally 
mistaken about the notion of true Christianity, not think- 
ing it to be so high and divine a thing as vevAly it is ; for 
if they had true and clear conceptions of it, they would 
never fancy themselves to be Christians, upon such low 
and pitiful grounds as usually they do, making as if CI 
fianity consisted in nothing else, but in the 
L 5 



$50 THOUGHTS UPON SELF-DENIAL. 

foramnce of some few particular duties, and in adhering 
to them that profess it ; whereas Christianity is a thing of 
a much higher and far more noble nature, than such would 
have it ; insomuch, that did we but rightly understand it, 
methinks we could not but be taken with it, so as to re- 
solve for the future, to the utmost of our power, to live 
up to it ; to which could I be an instrument of persuading 
any, how happy should I think myself ? Howsoever it is 
my duty to endeavour it, and for that purpose I shall now 
clear up the true notion of Christianity, that we may know, 
not what it is to be professors and pretenders of Christiani- 
ty, but what it is to be real Christians, and true disciples 
of Christ Jesus, such as Christ will own for his in another 
world. 

Now to know whom Christ will accept for his disciples, 
our only way is to consult Christ himself, and to consider 
what it is that he requires of those that follow him, in or- 
der to be his disciples ; a thing as easily understood, as it 
is generally disregarded ; for nothing can be more plain, 
than that Christ requires and enjoins all those that would 
be his disciples, to observe not only some few, but all the 
commands that he hath laid upon us. Ye are my friends, 
saith he, and therefore my disciples, if ye do whatsoever I 
command you, John xv. 14. So that unless we do whatso- 
ever he commands us, we are so far from being his disci- 
ples, that we are indeed his enemies. Nay, they that 
would be his disciples, must excel and surpass all others 
in virtue and good works, Herein, saith he, is my Father 
glorified that ye bring forth much fruit, so shall ye be my dis- 
ciples, John xv. 8. yea, and continue in them too, John viii. 
31. He tells us also, that they that would be his disciples, 
must love him above all things ; or rather, hate all things in. 
comparison of him, Luke xiv. 26. And that they love one 
another, as he hath , loved them, John xiv. 35. To name 
no more ; read but St. Matthew xvi. 24. and there you 
may see what it is to be a Christian indeed, or what it is 
that Christ requires x>f those who would be his disciples. 
If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, take up 
hisc7*oss, and follow me. Did we but understand the true 
meaning of these words, and order our conversation ac- 
cordingly, we should both know what it is to be true 
Christians, and really to be so ourselves. For I think 
there is nothing that Christ requires of those who desire to 
be his disciples, but we should perform it, could we but 
observe, what is here commanded : which that we may all 






THOUGHTS UPON SELF-DENIAL. 25i 

do, I shall endeavour to give the true meaning of them, 
and of every particular in them as they lie in order. 

For, saith he, If any man will come after me, that is, if 
any man will 1^e my disciple ; for masters ye know use to 
go before scholars, and disciples to follow after. And our 
Saviour here speaks of himself under the notion of a mas- 
ter, that hath disciples coming after him, and saith, that 
if any one would be one of his disciples so as to go after 
him, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow him. 
So that here are three things which our blessed Saviour re* 
quires of those that would be his disciples, and by conse- 
quence of us who profess to be so ; for I dare say there is 
none of us but desire to be a Christian, or at least to be 
thought so ; for we all know and believe Jesus Christ to 
be the only Saviour of mankind ; that none can save us 
but he, and that there is none of us but he can save ; and 
that all those who truly come to him for pardon and salva- 
tion, shall most certainly have it : hence it is that we would 
#11 be thought at least so wise, and to have so much care 
of ourown souls as to go after Christ and be his disciples. I 
hope there are but few but who really desire to be so. Yet 
I would not have any think that it is so easy a matter to be 
a disciple of Christ, or a real and true Christian, as the 
world would make it ; no, we may assure ourselves, that 
as it is the highest honour and happiness we can attain 
unto, so we shall find it the hardest matter in the world to 
attain unto it ; not in its own nature, but by reason of its 
contrariety to our natural temper and inclinations. For 
here we see what it is our blessed Saviour requires of those 
that would go after him, even nothing less than to deny 
themselves, take up their crosses, and follow him. All 
which are far greater things than at the first sight, or read- 
ing, they may seem to be. 

For first, saith he, If any man will come after me, let him 
deny himself, which being the first thing which Christ re- 
quires of those that go after him, it is necessary that we 
search more narrowly into the nature of it. For if we fail 
in this, we cannot but fail in all the rest. And there- 
fore, for the opening of this, I shall not trouble the reader 
with the various expositions, and the divers opinions of 
learned men concerning these words, but only mind him 
in general, that the self-denial here spoken of is properly 
opposed to self-love, or that corrupt and vicious habit of 
the soul, whereby we are apt to admire and prefer cur 
own fancies, wills, desires, interests, and the like, before 

h Q 



252 THOUGHTS UPON SELF-DENIAL. 

Christ himself, and what he is pleased either to promise to 
us, or require of us. And therefore, when he commands 
us to deny ourselves, his will and pleasure in general is 
this, that we do not indulge, or gratify ourselves in any 
thing that stands in opposition against, and comes in com- 
petition with his interest in the world, or ours in him, 
howsoever near and dear it mayl)e unto us. But to deny 
ourselves whatsoever is pleasing to ourselves, if it be not 
so to God and Christ too, so as not to live to ourselves, but 
only unto him that died for us, to live as those who are 
none of our own, but are bought with a price, and there- 
fore should glorify God both in our souls and in our bo- 
dies, which are his, 1 Cor. vi. 19, 20. But seeing this is 
notfonly the first lesson to be learned by Christ's disciples, 
but that which is necessarily required in order to whatso-^ 
ever else he commands from us, I shall shew you more 
particularly what it is in yourselves that you are to deny. 

1. You must deny your own reasons in matters of di- 
vine revelation, so as to use them no farther than only to 
search into the grounds and motives that we have to be- 
lieve them to be revealed by God. For this being either 
proved or supposed, we are not to suffer our reasons to be 
too curious in searching into them, but believe them upon 
the word and testimony of God himself, who is the su- 
preme truth, or verity itself. 

, For we who by all our art and canning cannot under- 
stand the reasons of the most common and obvious things 
in nature, must not think to comprehend the great myste- 
ries of the gospel, which, though they be not contrary to 
our reasons, are infinitely above them : For the natural 
man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they 
are foolishness to him, neither can he know them, because 
they are spiritually discerned, 1 Cor. ii. 14. So that to the 
understanding of the things of the Spirit, or which the 
Spirit of God hath revealed to us, there is a great deal more 
required than what we have by nature, even the superna- 
tural assistance of the Spirit himself that revealed them. 
And therefore, if any man amongst us seemeth to he wise in 
this world, let him beco?ne a fool, that he may be wise, 1 Cor. 
iii. JL8. that is,*^>e that would be wise unto salvation, must 
look upon himself as a fool, as one incapable by nature of 
understanding the things that belong unto his everlasting 
peace, without both the revelation and assistance of God 
himself; and therefore must not rely upon his own judg- 
ment, but only upon God's testimony in what he doth be- 



THOUGHTS UPON SELF-DJES'IAL. 253 

lieve, not believing what his reason; but what God's word 
tells him ; looking upon it as reason enough why he should 
believe it, because God hath said it. 

I know this is an hard doctrine to flesh and blood. For, 
as Job tells us, vain man would be wise, though man be born 
like a wild ass s colt, Jobxi. 12. Though by nature we be 
never so foolish, vain, and ignorant, understanding the 
great mysteries of the gospel, no more than a wild ass's 
colt doth a mathematical demonstration, yet howsoever we 
would fain be thought very wise men : yea so wise as to 
be able to comprehend matters of the highest, yea of an 
infinite nature, within the narrow compass of our finite 
and shallow capacities. But this is that which we must 
deny ourselves in, if we desire to be Christ's disciples, so 
as to acquiesce in his word, and believe what he asserts, 
only because he asserts it, without suffering our reason to 
interpose, but looking upon his word as more than all the 
reasons and arguments in the world besides. 

2. You must deny your own wills. Our wills, it is 
true, at first were made upright and perfect, every way 
correspondent to the will of God himself, so as to will what 
he wills, that is, what is really good; and to nill what he 
nills, that is, what is really evil. But being now pervert- 
ed, and corrupted with sin, our wills are naturally inclin- 
ed to the evil which they should be averse from, and averse 
from the good which they should be inclined to. So that 
instead of choosing the good and refusing the evil, we are 
generally apt to choose the evil and refuse the good : yet 
for all that our wills are thus crooked and perverse, we 
cannot endure to have them crossed or thwarted in any 
thing, but would needs have our own wills in every thing, 
so as neither to do any thing ourselves, nor yet have any 
thing done to us, but just as ourselves will, who will usu- 
ally just contrary to what we should. But now they that 
would be Christ's disciples, must not be thus self-willed, 
but deny themselves the fulfilling' of their own wills, when 
it doth not consist with the will of God to have them ful- 
filled. This our Lord and master hath taught us by his 
■pie as w ell as precept, saying, Father, if thou be will- 
ing remove this cup from me, nevertheless, not my will but 
be done, Luke xxii. 42. Where we may observe that 
our: viour, as man, could not but have a natural 

aver om death, as all men by nature have, and that 

without sin. And though Christ's will, as man, was ne- 
ver so pure and perfect, yet he only submits it to the will 



£54? THOUGHTS UPON SELF-DENIAL. 

of God. He manifested indeed that it was the will of that 
nature which he had assumed, not to suffer death, saying, 
if it be possible, let thi& cup pass from me ; but he shews 
withal, that the will of man must still be subject to the 
will of God ; and that man, even as man, must deny his 
own will, whensoever it runneth not exactly parallel with 
God's, saying, nevertheless, not my will but thine be done. 

And if Christ himself denied his own pure and perfect 
will, that his Father's might be accomplished, how much 
more cause have we to deny our wills, which, by nature, 
are always contrary to his will, yea, and to our own good 
too, preferring generally that which is evil and destruc- 
tive to us, before that which is truly good and advan- 
tageous for us ? And verily a great part of true Christianity 
consisteth in thus resigning our wills to God's not minding 
so much which v. r ay our own inclinations bend, as what 
his pleasure and command is. A notable instance where- 
of we have in old Eli, who questionless could not but be- 
very willing that the iniquity of his sons might be forgiv- 
en, and his family prosper in the world; yet however 
when God had manifested his pleasure to him, that his 
house should be destroyed, he submitted his own wholly 
unto God's, saying, It is the Lord, let him do what seem- 
eth him good, 1 Sam. iii. 18, And whosoever of us would 
be Christ's disciple indeed, must be sure thus to deny and 
renounce his own will, whensoever it appears to be con- 
trary unto God's, so as even to will, that not his own will 
but God's be fulfilled, as our Lord and master himself hath 
taught us each day to pray, Thy will be done on earth as it 
is in heaven. And whosoever hath learned this art of mak- 
ing his own will bow and stoop to God's, hath made a very 
good progress in the Christian religion, especially in that 
part of it which requires us to deny ourselves. 

And seeing we must deny our wills, w r e must needs deny 
our affections too, which are indeed nothing else but the 
several motions of the will towards good and evil ; but usu- 
ally they are so disorderly and irregular, as to place them- 
selves upon objects directly opposite to what they were 
designed for ; for that we ordinarily love what we ought 
to hate, and hate what we ought to love ; desire what we 
ought to abhor, and abhor what we ought to desire ; re- 
joice in those things which we ought to grieve for, and 
are grieved at such things which we ought to rejoice in : 
so that if v/e suffer our affections to move according to 
their natural tendency and corrupt inclinations, we shall 



THOUGHTS UPON SELF-DENIAL. 255 

be so far from going after Christ, that we shall continually 
be running from him. And therefore it must be our great 
care and study to bridle our affections, deny them their 
unlawful, and fix them upon their proper objects ; yea, and 
to deny ourselves too the lawful use of such things as our 
affections are apt to be unlawfully placed upon. As for 
example ; it is lawful, yea our duty to love our relations, 
but if our love to them becomes exorbitant, so as to love 
them more than God, our love to them must be turned 
into hatred in comparison of our love to him, Luke xiv. 26. 
And whatsoever lawful thing it is that we take pleasure in, 
if once we find that our pleasure in that extinguished, or 
but damps that pleasure which we used, or ought to have 
in God, we are to deny ourselves such pleasures as these 
are, and rather despise ourselves than God. 

Yea, we must deny ourselves moreover the use and en* 
joyment of our estates and earthly possessions, whenso- 
ever they come into competition with his glory : so that if 
it comes to that point, that we must either leave our estates 
to enjoy Christ, or leave Christ to enjoy our estates ; we 
must be willing and ready, without any more ado, to aban- 
don and renounce whatever else we have rather than our 
interest in Christ. For indeed he is not worthy to be 
Christ's disciple that doth not prefer him before all things 
else ; neither he that loves the world at all in comparison 
of Christ : For if any man love the world, the love of the Fa* 
ther is not in him, 1 John ii. 15. And therefore he that 
would be Christ's disciple indeed, must fix his heart so fast 
on Christ, that it must hang loose and indifferent as to all 
things here below, being no more proud of them, no more 
delighted in them, no more concerned about them, than 
as if he had them not. So that though he have all things 
beside Christ, he must have nothing but him, or at least in 
comparison of him ; yea, be ready to part with all, that 
he may gain Christ. And though many of us may think 
this an hard saying, we may assure ourselves, it is no more 
than what we must do, if we desire to be Christ's disciple, 
Luke xiv. 33. 

Furthermore, we must deny ourselves those sins espe- 
cially., and lusts which we have or do still indulge ourselves 
in ; for thus the gospel teacheth you in a particular man- 
ner, to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, Tit. ii. 12. And 
therefore we in vain pretend to be true Christians so long 
as we live in any one known sin with any love unto it, or 
delight in it. I suppose none of my readers guilty of all 



£56 THOUGHTS UPON SELF-DENIAL. 

sins, and I fear there are few but live in some. No man 
but may be naturally averse from some sins, but it is very 
rare to find one that is inclined to none ; for ordinarily eve- 
ry man hath his darling, his beloved sin, his own sin, as 
David himself once had, though he afterwards kept him- 
self from it, Psal. xviii. 23. So I fear none of my readers 
but have some sin, which he may in a peculiar manner call 
his own, as being that which his thoughts run most upon, 
and his desires are carried most unto, which he labours 
most after, and. takes most pleasure in, which he is most 
loth to be reproved for, and most easily overcome, by. 
Now this and whatsoever other sins any of us are addicted 
to, we must wholly leave and utterly renounce if ever we 
desire to be Christ's disciples. And therefore so long as 
any of us live in any known sin, as in pride or prodigality, 
in oppression or covetousness, in malice or uncleanness, in 
drunkenness, uncharitableness, or any other sin whatso- 
ever, we must not think ourselves to be Christians indeed. 
Christ will never own us for his disciples ; for so long as 
we live in any known sin, it is that sin, not Christ, that 
is our master ; and therefore if we would list ourselves into 
his service, we must be sure to deny ourselves whatsoever 
we know to be offensive to him. 

There is still another thing behind wherein we must 
deny ourselves, if we desire to go after Christ, and that is, 
we must deny and renounce all our self-righteousness, and 
all hopes and confidences from ourselves, and from what 
we have done, which I look upon as a very great piece of 
self-denial ; for naturally we are all prone to sacrifice to 
our own nets, to burn incense to our own drags, to boast 
of our own good works, and to pride ourselves with the 
conceit of our own righteousness". Though we be never 
so sinful, we would not be thought to be so, but would 
very fain be counted righteous, not only by men, but by 
God himself, for something or other which ourselves do ; 
though when all comes to all, we know not what that 
should be ; but howsoever the pride of our hearts is such, 
that we are loth to go out of ourselves to look for righte- 
ousness, to be beholden to another for it. And this is the 
reason that justification by faith in Christ hath had so many 
adversaries in the world ; mankind in general being so 
much in love with themselves, and doting upon what 
themselves do, that they cannot endure to renounce and 
vilify their own obedience and good works, so' much as to. 
think they stand in need of any other righteousnes 



THOUGHTS UPON SELF-DEXrAL, $&? 

*ides their own, as if their own righteousness was so per- 
fect., that God himself could find no fault with it, nor 
make any exceptions against it, but must needs acknow- 
ledge them to be just and righteous persons for it. 

Whereas, alas ! there is not the best action that ever a 
mere mortal did, but if examined by the strict rules of jus- 
tice, it is as &r from being good, yea, so far, that God 
himself may justly pronounce it evil, and by consequence 
condemn the person that did it, for doing of it. And 
therefore I cannot wonder what it is that any man doth or 
can do, for which he can in reason be justified before God, 
our very righteousness being, as the prophet tells, but as 
jililiy rags , and our most holy performances fraught with 
sin and imperfection, and therefore so far from justifying 
us, that we may justly be condemned for them ; but this 
mankind doth not love to hear of, the pride of our hearts 
being such, that by all means we must have something in 
ourselves whereof to glory before God himself. But woe 
be to that person who hath no other righteousness but his 
own, wherein to appear before the judge of the whole 
world, for however specious his actions may seem to men., 
they will be adjudged sins before the eternal God. 

He therefor would come to Christ, although he 

must labour, af;er righteousness to the utmost of his power, 
yet when he has done all, he must renounce it and look 
upon himself as an unprofitable servant : For Christ came 
not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance, Matt. ix. 
13. that is, He came not to call such persons as think they 
haverighti enough of their own to serve their turns, 

for such persons think they have no need of him, and there- 
fore it ) ' I vain to call them; but he calls sinners, 
such as ma?/ perhaps be as righteous as the others, but they 
do not think themselves to be so, but look upon themselves as 
Undone for ever, unless they have something else to trust to, 
than their onn good works and obedience to the moral latiK 
Such per erefbre Christ came to call, and if they 
come to him, they cannot but find rest and righteousness 
in him ; and if any of us desire to go after Christ, so as to 
be his disciple, we must be sure to look upon ourselves as 
sinners, as deserving nothing but wrath and vengeance for 
whatsoever we have done ; we must renounce all our own 
righteousness, and be so far from depending upon it, as 
to think we have none to depend upon, for so really we 
have not. And when we have laid aside all thoughts of 
pur own righteousness, as to the matter of justification 



258 THOUGHTS UPON SELF-DENIAL. 

fore God, then and not till then, shall we be rightly qua- 
lified to embrace another's, even that righteousness which 
is by faith in Christ. Thus St. Paul, though he had as 
much, yea more reason to trust in the flesh or in himself 
than others ; for himself saith, That as touching the righte- 
ousness of the law, he was blameless, Phil. iii. 6. Yet, saith 
lie, what things were gain to me, those / counted loss for 
Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things bid loss for 
the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord. 
For whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count 
them but dung, that I may win Christ, and be found in him, 
not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but 
that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness 
which is of Cod by faith, ver. 7, 8, 9. Thus therefore it 
is that all those must do who desire to be as St. Paul was, 
real disciples of Jesus Christ ; as we must forsake our sins, 
so we must renounce our righteousness too. It is true, this 
is a great and difficult part of self-denial, thus to deny our- 
selves all that pride, pleasure and confidence, which we 
used to take in the thoughts of our own righteousness and 
obedience to the law of God; but we must remember that 
the first thing which our Saviour enjoins those that come 
after him, is to deny themselves. 

Thus I have shewn what it is in ourselves that we 
must deny, and how it is that we must deny ourselves, if 
we desire to go after Christ. We must deny ourselves the 
curiosity of searching too much into the mysteries of the 
gospel, by the light of our own clouded reason ; we must 
deny our self-conceit, our self-love, self-interest, self-con- 
fidence, and whatsoever proceeds from and terminates in 
our sensual and sinful selves, so as to have no delight in, 
nor dependance upon ourselves ; yea we must so deny 
ourselves, as to be quite taken off of our former selves, and 
become other creatures than what we were. Thus St. Am- 
brose explains these words, saying, " Seipsum sibi homo 
(e abneget et totus mutetur, Let a man deny himself to 
" himself, so as^to be wholly changed from what he was." 
But then you will say, what need is there of all this trou- 
ble ; what reason can be given that a man must deny him- 
self before he can be a true Christian ? 

To this I answer, it is reason enough that Christ hath 
commanded us to do it ; and surely he best knows whom 
he will accept of as his disciples, and what is necessary to 
be done in order to our being so : and he hath said in plain 
terms, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself 



THOUGHTS UPON SELF-DENIAL. 2^9 

implying, that he that doth not deny himself cannot go af- 
ter him. 

But besides that, there is an impossibility in the thing 
itself, that any one should be a true Christian, or go after 
Christ, and not deny himself, as may be easily perceived, 
if they will but consider what true Christianity requires 
of us, and what it is to be a real Christian. A true Chris- 
tian, we know, is one that lives by faith, and not by sight: 
That looks not at the things which are seen, but at those things 
which are not seen ; that believes whatsoever Christ hath 
said, trusteth on whatsoever he hath promised, and obey- 
eth whatsoever lie hath commanded ; that receiveth Christ 
as his only Priest to make atonement for him, as his only 
Prophet to instruct, and as his only Lord and master to 
rule and govern him. In a word, a Christian is one that 
gives up himself and all he hath to Christ, who gave him- 
self and all that he hath to him ; and therefore the very 
notion of true Christianity implies and supposes the denial 
of ourselves, without which it is as impossible for a man 
to be a Christian, as it is for a subject to be rebellious 
and loyal to his prince at the same time ; and therefore it 
is absolutely necessary that we go out of ourselves before 
we can go to him, we must strip ourselves of our very 
selves before we can put on Christ ; for Christ himself hatn 
told us that no man can serve two masters, for either he witt 
hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to the one, 
and despise the other, Matt. vi. 24. We cannot serve God 
and mammon, Christ and ourselves too ; so that we must 
either deny ourselves to go after Christ, or else deny Christ 
to go after ourselves, so as to mind our own selfish ends 
and designs in the world. 

Wherefore I hope I need not use any other arguments to 
persuade any to deny themselves in the sense already ex- 
plained ; I dare say there is none amongst us but would 
willingly be what we profess, even a real Christian, and 
so go after Christ here, as to come to him hereafter. But 
we have now seen how Christ himself told us, that we must 
deny ourselves, if we desire to serve and enjoy him : and 
verily it is an hard case if we cannot deny ourselves for 
him who so far denied himself for us, as to lay down his 
own life to redeem ours. He who was equal to God him- 
self, yea, who himself was the true God, so far denied 
himself as to become man, yea, a man of sorrows, and ac- 
quainted with grief, for us ; and cannot we deny ourselves 
so much as a fancy, a conceit, a sin or lust for him ? How 



THOUGHTS trt?Off SELF-MtfiAL. 

then can we expect that he should own us for his friends, 
his servants, or disciples ? No, he will never do it, nei- 
ther can we in reason expect that he should give himself . 
and all the merits of his death and passion unto us, so long 
as we think much to give ourselves to him, or to deny our- 
selves for him. And therefore if we desire to be made par- 
takers of those glorious things which he hath purchased 
with his own most precious blood for the sons of men ; let 
us begin here, indulge our flesh no longer, but deny our- 
selves whatsoever God hath been pleased to forbid. And 
for that end, let us endeavour each day more and more to 
live above ourselves, above the temper of our bodies, and 
above the allurements of the world, live as those who be- 
lieve and profess that they are none of their own, but 
Christ's ; his by creation, it was he that made us ; his by 
preservation, it is he that maintains us ; and his by re- 
demption, it is he that hath purchased and redeemed us 
with his own blood. And therefore, let us deny ourselves 
for the future to our very selves, whose we are not, and de- 
vote ourselves to him whose alone we are ; by this we shall 
manifest ourselves to be Christ's disciples indeed, especi- 
ally if we do not only deny ourselves, but also take up our 
cross and follow him ; which brings me to the second thing 
which our blessed Saviour here requires of those who would 
go after him, even to take up their cross. 

' Where, by the cross, we are to understand whatsoever 
troubles or calamities, inward or outward, we meet with 
in the performance of our duty to God or man, which they 
that would go after Christ must take up as they go along, 
without any more ado, neither repining at them, nor sink- 
ing under them, for we must not think that Christ invites 
us to an earthly paradise of idleness or outward pleasure, 
as if we had nothing to do or to suffer for him : for even as 
men we cannot but find many crosses in the world, but as 
Christians we must expect more, for Christ himself hath 
told us, that in the world we shall have tribulation, John 
xvi. 33. And therefore whatsoever we meet with, is no 
more than what we are to look for ; especially if we walk 
uprightly in the way that leads to heaven, we cannot but 
expect to meet with many a rub, for God himself hath told 
us that it is through many tribulations that we must enter 
into the kingdom qf heaven, Acts xiv. 25. And therefore 
we must not think to be carried up to heaven with the 
breath of popular applause, nor to swim through a deluge 
of carnal pleasures into the haven of everlasting happiness. 



THOUGHTS UPON SELF-DENIAL, 26i 

No, We must look to be tossed to and fro in this world, as 
in a raging and tempestuous ocean, and never look for per- 
petual calmness and tranquillity, until we have got above 
the clouds, yea, even above the sun and stars themselves. 
This world was always a world of trouble, and ever will 
be ; its very friends, and they that have their portion here, 
can find no quiet nor satisfaction in it ; but the disciples 
of Christ they are not of this world, as Christ himself tells 
us, John xvii. 14. And therefore no wonder if the world 
frowns more upon them than others ; the way they walk in 
is opposite to the world, it is enmity itself to the flesh, 
and therefore no wonder if they meet with so much enmi- 
ty and opposition here ; the way wherein they go after 
Christ is a cross way, it is cross to sin, cross to Satan, 
cross to the world, cross to our very selves as we are by 
nature, and by consequence cross to all men in the world 
but Christ's disciples ; and therefore it is no wonder they 
meet with so many crosses in it. But howsoever, if we 
desire to go after Christ, he hath told vis beforehand what 
we must expect ; as he hath borne the cross before us, he 
expects that we now bear it after him ; yea, we must not 
only bear it, but take it up too : not that we should run 
ourselves into danger, but that we should baulk no duty 
to avoid it, so as to be willing and ready to undergo the 
greatest sufferings, rather than to commit the least sin, and 
to run the greatest danger rather than neglect the smallest 
duty. If whilst we are walking in the narrow path of ho- 
liness, there happens to lie a cross in the way we must 
not go on one side nor on the other side of it out of the path 
we walk in, neither must we kick and spurn it, but we 
must patienth' take it up, and carry it along with us ; if it 
be a little heavy at first, it will soon grow lighter, and 
not at all hinder, but rather further our progress towards 
heaven. 

But here we must have a great care to understand our 
Saviour's meaning, and so our own duty aright ; for we 
must not think that every trouble we meet with in the 
world is the cross of Christ, for we may suffer for our fan- 
cy or humour, cr perhaps for our sin and transgression of 
the laws of God or men ; and if so, it is our own cross, 
not Christ's which we take upon us ; we may thank our- 
selves for it ; I am sure Christ hath no cause to thank us : 
For this is thank-worthy, saith the apostle, if a man for 
conscience toward God endure grief suffering wrongfully, 
1 Pet. ii. 19, 20. And therefore the duty which our Savi- 



%§l * THOUGHTS UPON SELF-DENIAL. 

our here imposeth on us in few terms is this, that we be 
ready not only to do, but to suffer what we can for the 
glory of God, and the furtherance of the gospel, and that 
we omit no duty, nor commit any sin for fear of suffer- 
ing ; nor think so much of any trouble that befals us for 
Christ's sake, but rather to rejoice at it, even as the 
apostles rejoiced, that they were counted worthy to suffer 
shame for his name. Acts v. 41. Which was a clear instance 
of then* performing the duty here enjoined both them and 
us, under the name of taking up our cross. 

And I hope there is none of us can take it ill, that 
Christ hath imposed so severe a duty upon us ; for we 
may assure ourselves he requires no more of us than what 
himself hath undergone before, so that we can suffer no- 
thing for him but what he hath suffered before for us. 
Have we grief and trouble in our hearts ? So had he, 
Matt, xx vi. 38. Have we pains and tortures in our bo- 
dies ? So had he, Matt, xxvii. 29, SO. Are we derided 
and scoffed at? So was he, Matt, xxvii. 31. Are we ar- 
raigned and condemned, yea, do we suffer death itself? 
It is no more than what our Lord and master hath done 
before. And let us remember what he told us when he 
was upon the earth, The disciple is not above his Master, 
nor the servant above his Lord, Matt. x. 24. If we be 
Christ's disciples, we cannot expect to fare better in the 
world than Christ himself did, neither indeed can we fare 
so bad ; for it is impossible that we should undergo so 
much for him as he hath undergone for us, ours being only 
the sufferings of men, his the sufferings of one who was 
God as well as man ; whereby sufferings in general are 
sanctified to our human nature, it having already under- 
gone them in the person of the Son of God; so that it can 
be now no disparagement at all to undergo any trouble, as 
hatred, reproach, poverty, pain, yea, death itself, or any 
other calamity, whatsoever in this world, seeing the Son 
of God himself, he that made the world, underwent the 
same while himself was in it. And therefore we need not 
think it below us to stoop down and take up the cross of 
Christ, as considering that Christ hath borne it before us, 
hath so blessed and sanctified it unto us, that it is now be- 
come an honourable, and advantageous, yea, and a pleasant 
cross, to them that bear it patiently, thankfully, and con- 
stantly, as they ought to do, especially seeing it is such a 
cross as leads unto a crown ; whatsoever we can do or suf- 
fer for Christ here, will be fully recompensed with glory 



THOUGHTS UPON SELF-DENIAL. 265 

hereafter ; and therefore instead of being troubled to take 
up our cross, we are rather to rejoice that we have any to 
take up* 

Thus we see in few words, what it is which our Savi- 
our commands us, when he enjoins us to deny ourselves, 
and take up out* cross ; even that we do not gratify our- 
selves in any thing that is ungrateful unto him, nor grudge 
to take up any cross, or suffer any trouble we meet with 
in the world for his sake, thinking nothing too dear to 
forsake, nor any thing too heavy to bear for him, who 
thought not his own life too dear, nor the cross itself too 
heavy to bear for us. What now remains, but that know- 
ing our Saviour's pleasure we should all resolve to do it ? 
There is none of us but hope and desire to be saved by him; 
but that we can never be, unless we observe what he hath 
prescribed in order to our salvation : and amongst other 
things, we see how he hath commanded us to deny our- 
selves, and to take up our cross. As any of us therefore 
desire to be Christians indeed, so as to see Christ's face 
with comfort in another world, let us bethink ourselves 
seriously what sins we have hitherto indulged ourselves in. 
I fear there are but few, if any amongst us, but are con- 
scious to themselves, that they have, and do still live, ei- 
ther in the constant neglect of some known duty, or else 
in the frequent commission of some beloved sin : what that 
is, I dare not undertake to tell, but leave that to God and 
to men's own consciences ; only I desire them to deal faith- 
fully with their own souls, and not suffer themselves 
to be fooled into a fond and vain persuasion that they have 
any interest in Christ, or are truly his disciples, until they 
deny themselves that sin, whatsoever it is, which they 
have hitherto indulged themselves in. And let us not think 
that we shall deny ourselves any real pleasure or profit, 
by renouncing our sins ; for what pleasure can we have in 
displeasing God ; or profit in losing our own souls ? No, 
we shall gratify ourselves, more than we can imagine, by 
denying ourselves, as much as we are able, whatsoever is 
offensive or displeasing unto God ; for we may be sure, he 
that came into the world on purpose to save us from evil, 
commands us nothing but for our own good ; neither would 
he ever have obliged us to deny ourselves, if we could 
have been saved without it ; and as for the cross, that he 
was so well acquainted with, that he would never have 
imposed it upon us to take it up, but that it is indispensi- 
bly necessary for us. And therefore if we be what we 



&6'h THOUGHTS UPON STRIVING TO 

pretend, real and true Christians, let us manifest it to the 
world, and to our own consciences, by denying our- 
selves whatsoever Christ hath denied us, and by observ- 
ing whatsoever he hath commanded us, even to the tak- 
ing up of any cross that he for his own sake shall suffer to 
be laid upon us ; still remembering, that self-denial, 
though it be unpleasant, is a most necessary duty ; and 
the cross, though it be never so heavy, is but short, and 
hath nothing less than a crown annexed unto it, a glorious 
and eternal crown, which all those shall most certainly 
obtain, who deny themselves. 



%-t V* ■•/WX WVV WW 



THOUGHTS UPON STRIVING TO EN- 
TER IN AT THE STRAIT GATE. 

S certainly as we are here now, it is not long but we 
shall all be in another world : either in a world of 
happiness, or else in a world of misery ; or, if you will, 
either in heaven or in hell, For these are the two only 
places which all mankind, from the beginning of the world 
to the end of it, must live in for evermore, some in the 
one, some in the^ other, according to their carriage and be- 
haviour here ; and therefore it is worth the while to take a 
view and prospect now and then of both these places, and 
it will not be amiss if we do it now ; rfor which end, I de- 
sire the reader, in his* serious and composed thoughts, to 
attend me first into the celestial mansions, above yonder 
glorious sun and the stars themselves, where not only the 
cherubims and seraphims, angels and archangels, but 
many also of our brethren, the sons of men, at this very 
moment are enjoying the presence, and singing forth the 
praises of the most high God. There are the spirits of just 
men made perfect, perfect in themselves, and perfect in 
all their actions, perfectly free from all both sin and mise- 
rv, perfectly free of all true grace and glory, all their fa- 
culties being reduced to that most perfect and excellent 
frame and constitution, that their understandings are con- 
tinually taken up with the contemplations of the supreme 
truth, and their wills in the embracement of their chiefest 
good ; so that all the inclinations of their souls rest in 
God as in their proper centre, in whom by consequence 
they enjoy, as much as they can desire, yea as much as 



ENTER IN AT THE STRAIT GATE. 265 

they can be made capable of desiring : for all those infinite 
perfections that are concentred in God himself, are now 
in their possession, to solace and delight themselves in the 
full and perfect enjoyment of them ; by which means they 
are as happy as God himself can make them ; insomuch 
that at this very moment methinks/we may all behold them 
so ravished, so transported with their celestial joys, that 
it may justly strike us into admiration, how ever creatures 
which were once sinful, could be made so pure, so perfect, 
and altogether so happy as they are. And could we but 
leave our bodies for a while below, and go up to take a 
turn in the New Jerusalem that is above, we could 
not but be ravished and transported at the very sight both 
of the place and inhabitants, every one being far more glo- 
rious than the greatest emperors of this world, with no- 
thing less than crowns of glory on their heads, and scep- 
tres of righteousness in their hands ; where they think of 
nothing but the glory of God, discourse of nothing but 
praising him, do nothing but adore and worship him : 
in a word, whatsoever is agreeable to our natures, what- 
soever is desirable to our souls, whatsoever can any 
way conduce to make men happy, is fully, perfectly, 
eternally enjoyed, by all and every person that is in 
heaven. Whereas on the other side, if we bring down 
our thoughts from heaven, and send them as low as hell, 
to consider the most deplorable estate and condition of those 
who inhabit the regions of darkness, them we shall find as 
miserable as the others are happy ; not only in that they - 
are deprived of the vision and fruition of the .chiefest good, 
but likewise in that they are in continual pain and torment, 
as great as infinite justice can adjudge them to, and infi- 
nite power inflict upon them, insomuch that could we lay 
our ear to the entrance of that bottomless pit, what howl- 
ings and shriekings should we hear, what weeping and 
wailing, and gnashing of teeth in the midst of those infer- 
nal flames, where, as our Saviour himself tells us, The 
worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched, Mark ix. 44. 
That is, where the consciences are always gnawed and 
tormented with the remembrance of their former sins, and 
the fire of God's wrath is continually burning in them, ne- 
ver to be quenched or abated : for certainly as the smiles and 
favour of the eternal God constitute the joys of heaven, so 
do his frowns and anger make up the flames of hell. To 
see him that made vis displeased with us, to see mercy it- 
self to frown upon us, to see the great and all-glorious 

M 



$66 THOUGHTS UPON STRIVING TO 

Creator of the world, the chiefest good, to look angrily 
upon us, and to shew himself offended at us, and incens- 
ed against us ! Methinksthe very thoughts of it are suffici- 
ent to make the stoutest heart amongst us tremble. But 
then what shall we think of those poor souls that see and 
feel it ? What shall we think of them ? Questionless they 
are more miserable than we are able to think them to be. 
For we cannot possibly conceive either the greatness of 
heaven's glory, or the sharpness of hell's torments ; only 
this we know, and may be certain of, that whatsoever is 
ungrateful to their minds, whatsoever is troublesome to 
their thoughts, whatsoever is contrary to their desires, 
whatsoever is painful to their bodies, or whatsoever is or 
call be destructive and tormenting to their souls, that, all 
they who are once in hell shall fear and feel, and that for ever. 

But this is too sad and doleful a subject to insist on long, 
neither should I have mentioned it, but for our own good, 
and to prepare us the better, both for the understanding 
and improving the advice of our Saviour, Matt. vii. 13, 
14. Enter ye in at the strait gate, &c. The meaning of 
which words, in brief, maybe reduced to these three heads : 

First, That it is an easy matter to go to hell, that 
place of torments we have now been describing, and by 
consequence that many go thither ; for the gate is wide, 
and the way is broad that leadeth thither. 

Secondly, That it is a hard and difficult thing to get to 
heaven, that place of joys we before spake of, and by conse- 
quence that but few get thither; For strait is the gate and 
narrow is the way thaVleadeth to it. 

Lastly, Howsoever difficult it is, our Saviour would 
have us strive to get to heaven, so as to pass through that 
strait gate, and walk in that narrow way that leadeth unto 
life. 

As for the first, that the gate is wide, and the way 
broad that leads to hell, or that it is an easy matter to go 
thither, I need not use many words to prove it. For though 
there be but few that mind it, I dare say there is scarce 
any one but believes it, yea, and hath oftentimes found it 
to be true by experience, even that it is an easy matter to 
sin, and that, we know, is the broad way that leads to 
hell ; so broad, that they who walk in it can find no 
bounds or limits in it, wherewithin to contain themselves ; 
neither are they ever out of their way, but go which way 
they will, they are still in the ready way to ruin and de- 
struction. And usually it is as plain as broad, so that men 



ENTER IN AT THE STRAIT GATE. 267 

rarely meet with any roughness or trouble in it, but rather 
with all the pleasures and delights which they desire, who 
look no higher than to please the flesh ; yea, whatsoever 
it is that they naturally desire, they still meet with it in 
the road to hell ; and whatsoever is ungrateful and irk- 
some to them, they are never troubled with it in the ways 
of sin. There are no crosses to be taken up, no self to be 
denied, but rather indulged and gratified ; there are no 
such tedious and troublesome things as examining our 
hearts, and mortifying our lusts, as praying or hearing, 
as fasting or watching : these are only to be found in tho 
narrow path that leads to heaven ; the broad way to hell 
is altogether unacquainted with them, being strewed ail 
along with carnal pleasures and sensual delights, with po- 
pular applause, and earthly riches, and such fine things as 
silly mortals use to be taken with. 

And hence it ,is, that our Saviour tells us, many there 
be which find this way, and go in at this wide gate that 
leads to ruin, because they see not whither it leads, but 
they see the baits and allurements which are in it, which 
they cannot but crowd about as fishes about the hook, or 
as flies about a candle, till they be destroyed. Yea, this 
way to destruction is so broad, that almost all the world is 
continually walking in it ; the gate so wide, that thou- 
sands at a time pass through it. And therefore we may 
well conclude it is a very easy thing to go to that place of 
torments, which even now we speak of, or rather that it 
is an hard, a difficult matter to keep out of it, the way be- 
ing so narrow that carries from it, that it is a difficult thing 
to find it ; and the way so broad that leads unto it, that 
none can miss of it that hath but a mind to walk in it. 

But I hope none of my readers have, God forbid they 
should have, a mind to go to hell ; their taking religious 
books into their hands is rather an argument that they have 
a mind to go to heaven, and read on purpose to learn the 
way thither. And we do well to take all opportunities of 
finding out the way to bliss ; for we may assure ourselves 
it is a very narrow one, it is hard to find it out, but much 
more hard to walk in it ; for it is a way very rarely trod- 
den, so that there is scarce any path to be seen, most peo- 
ple go either on one side, or else on the other side of it ; 
some running into the by-paths of error, heresy or schism, 
others into the broad way of profaneness or security : in- 
somuch that there are but very few that hit upon the right 
path that leads directlv to the New Jerusalem, the place 

M 2 



26S THOUGHTS UPON STRIVING TO 

of rest. I speak not this of myself; no, Christ himself that 
came from heaven to earth, on purpose to shew us the way 
from earth to heaven, saith, That .strait it the gate and nar- 
row is the way that leadeth unto life, and few there be that 
find it. 

And let not any think that Christ spake these words in 
vain, or that it is no great matter whether we believe what he 
said or no. For questionless, one great reason why so few 
ever come to heaven, is because most think it so easy to get 
thither, that they need not take any eare or pains about it. 
For even amongst ourselves, to whom the gospel is so 
clearly revealed, men generally think if they do but read 
the scriptures, and hear sermons, and live honestly with 
their neighbours, so as to harm no body, but pay every one 
their own, then they shall as surely come to heaven as if they 
were there already ; nay, many are so simple as to think 
that their separation from the church militant on earth is 
the way to bring them to the church triumphant in hea- 
ven ; and others so ridiculous as to believe that a death-bed ; 
repentance is sufficient to entitle them to eternal life. But l 
stay a while: it is not so easy a matter to get to heaven. In- 
deed to me it seems one of the greatest m} r steries in the 
world, that ever any man or woman should come thither ; 
that such sinful worms as we are, who are born in sin, 
and live so long in sin and rebellion against the great 
Creator of the world, should ever be received so far into 
his grace and favour as to enjoy life and eternal happiness 
in him. And did we look no farther than ourselves, we 
might justly despair of ever obtaining such transcendant 
glory which we are altogether so unworthy of. But the 
goodness of God both is and hath been so great to man- 
kind, that there is none of us but, in and through the me- 
rits of Christ Jesus, is in a capacity of it. Yet we must 
not think that it is so easy a thing to come to heaven, as the 
devil, the world, and our own base hearts, would per- 
suade us it is : if we do, we are never likely to come thi- 
ther ; no, we may assure ourselves, as heaven is the great- 
est good that we can attain, so doth it require our great- 
est care and study imaginable to attain it. 

This therefore is that which I shall endeavour to convince 
men of, and account myself happy if I can do it. For I 
dare say, there is none of us but desires to see Christ in 
glory, and to be happy with him and in him for ever ; but 
that we can never be, unless we do whatsoever is requir- 
ed of us in order to it ; and if we think it is so easy a mat- 



ENTER IN AT THE STRAIT GATE. 26$) 

ter to do whatsoever is required of us, I have just cause to 
suspect that we never yet made trial of it, nor set ourselves 
seriously upon the performance of those duties which are- 
enjoined us here in reference to our being happy for ever. 
For if we have set upon it in good earnest, we cannot but 
have found it very hard and difficulty by reason of our na- 
tural averseness from what is good, and inclinations unto 
evil. For we all know, that without holiness no man shall 
see the Lord, Heb. xii. 14. So that holiness is the way, 
the direct and only way, that leads to heaven ; neither is 
there any way imaginable of being happy hereafter, but 
by being holy here. And though it be an easy thing to 
profess holiness, and to perform some external acts of it ; 
yet to be truly pious and holy indeed, so as we must be if 
ever we would go to heaven, this is every wit as difficult 
as the other is easy. 

For first I suppose all will grant that he is not truly holy 
that lives in any known sin, as the apostle also intimates, 
saying, He that is horn of God doth not commit sin, 1 John 
iii. 9. And therefore he that still indulgeth himself in the 
commission of any known sin, he is not yet regenerate, or 
bom of God, he is not truly holy. So that to our being 
so holy here, as that we may be happy hereafter, it is ab- 
solutely and indispensibly necessary that we forsake and 
avoid to the utmost of our power whatsoever is offensive 
unto God, and contrary to his laws. But it is as difficult 
as it is necessary to forsake sin as we ought to do. It is 
an easy matter, I confess, to rail at sin, to backbite others, 
to blame ourselves for it. But that is not the business ; 
but to loathe our sins as much as ever we loved them, to 
abhor them as much as ever we desired them, and to be as 
much averse from them as ever we were inclined to them ; 
to forsake sin as sin, and by consequence all sins whatso- 
ever, one as well as another ; so as to deny ourselves all 
that pleasure we were wont to take in any sin, and all that 
seeming profit which we used to receive by it, and that too 
out of love to God, and fear of his displeasure : this is to 
forsake sin indeed, but it is sooner spoken of than done ; 
and it requires a great deal of time, and skill, and pains, 
to get so great a conquest over ourselves as this is, to cut 
off our right hand, to pluck out our right eye, and cast it 
from us ; even renounce and forsake those very beloved 
and darling sins, which the temper and constitution of 
our bodies, the corruption of our hearts, and constant cus- 
tom and practice hath made in a manner natural to us. 

M 3 



270 THOUGHTS UPON STRIVING TO 

So that our very natures must be changed before we can 
ever leave them. And therefore it must needs be a mat- 
ter of as great difficulty as it is of moment to master and 
subdue those sins and lusts that have been long predomi- 
nant in us ; which I dare say many of us have found by 
our own sad and woeful experience, having struggled per- 
haps many years against some corruption, and yet to this day 
have not got it under, nor totally subdued it. And it is 
such, and such alone, who are competent judges in this 
case ; for they that never strove against their sins, cannot 
know how strong they are, nor how hard it is to conquer 
them. And therefore it is to those who have made it their 
business to destroy and mortify their lusts, that I appeal 
whether it be not hard to do it. I am confident they can- 
not but have found it, and therefore must needs acknow- 
ledge it to be so ; and by consequence that it is no easy 
matter to get to heaven, seeing it is so hard to keep out of 
hell, and to avoid those sins which otherwise will certainly 
bring us thither ; every sin unrepented of having eternal 
punishment entailed upon it. 

And if it be so hard to forsake sin, how difficult must 
it needs be to perform all those duties, and to exert all 
those graces which are necessarily required, in order to 
our attaining everlasting happiness. It is true, praying 
and hearing, which are the ordinary means for the obtain- 
ing true grace and holiness, are duties very common and 
customary amongst us, but they are never the easier be- 
cause they are common, but rather far more difficult. For 
we being accustomed to a careless and perfunctory per- 
forming these duties, cannot but find it an hard and diffi- 
cult matter to keep our hearty so close unto them, as to 
perform them as we. ought to do, and so as that we may 
be really said to do them. For we must not think that sit- 
ting at church while the word of God is preached, is hear- 
ing the word of God, or being present there while prayers 
are read, is real praying : no, no, there is a deal more re- 
quired than this to our praying to the great God aright ; 
insomuch that, for my own part, I really think that pray- 
er, as it is the highest, so is it the hardest duty that we 
can be engaged in. All the faculties of our souls, as well 
as members of our bodies, being obliged to put forth them- 
selves in their several capacities, to the due performance 
of it. 

And as for these several graces and virtues which our 
souls must be adorned withal, before ever they can com© 



ENTER IN AT THE STRAIT GATE. 271 

to heaven, though it be easy to talk of them, it is not 
so to act them. I shall instance only in some few ; as to 
love God above all things, and other things only for God's 
sake ; to hope on nothing but God's promises, and to fear 
nothing but his displeasure ; to love other men's persons 
so as to hate their vices, and so to hate their vices as still 
to love their persons ; not to covet riches when we have 
them not, nor trust on them when we have them ; to deny 
ourselves that we may please God, and to take up our 
cross that we may follow Christ ; to live above the world 
whilst we are in it, and to despise it whilst we use it ; to 
be always upon our watch and guard, strictly observing not 
only the outward actions of our life, but the inward motions 
ofour hearts; to hate those very sins which we used to love, 
andTtoIoveTIiose very duties which we used to hate; to choose 
the greatest affliction before the least sin, and to neglect 
the getting of the greatest gain, rather than the perform- 
ing of the smallest duty ; to believe truths which we can- 
not comprehend, merely upon the testimony of one whom 
we never saw ; to submit our wills to God's, and to de- 
light ourselves in obeying him ; to be patient under suffer- 
ings, and thankful for all the troubles we meet with here 
below ; to be ready and willing to do and suffer any thing 
we can for him who hath done and suffered so much for 
us ; to clothe the naked, feed the hungry, relieve the in- 
digent, and rescue the oppressed to the utmost of our 
power : in a word, to be every way as pious towards God, 
as obedient to Christ, as loyal to our prince, as faithful to 
our friends, as loving to our enemies, as charitable to the 
poor, as just in our dealings, as eminent in all true graces 
and virtues, as if we were to be saved by it, and yet by 
no confidence in it, but still look upon ourselves as unpro- 
fitable servants, and depend upon Christ, and Christ alone, 
for pardon and salvation. 

I suppose I need not tell any one that it is hard and dif- 
ficult to perform such duties, and to act such graces as these 
are ; but this let me tell the reader, that how hard, how 
difficult soever it is, it must be done, if ever we design to 
come to heaven, and by consequence it is no easy matter to 
come thither. Seeing therefore the way that leads to hea- 
ven is thus narrow, and hard, it is no wonder that there 
are few that walk in it, or indeed that find it out, as our 
Saviour himself assures us ; for people generally love to 
swim with the stream, to run with the multitude, though 

M 4 



2/ 2 THOUGHTS UPON STRIVING TO 

it be into the gulf of sin and misery. It is very rare to find 
one walking in the narrow way, and keeping himself with- 
in those bounds and limits wherewith it is inclosed ; and 
this seems to have been the occasion of these words in the 
gospel of St. Luke, where one said unto Christ, Lord, arc 
there few that be saved ? And our Saviour answered in 
these words, Strive to enter in at the strait gate : Fco- many, 
1 say unto yon, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able, 
Luke xiii. 28, 24. Intimating, not only that there are 
few that shall be saved, but likewise that many of those 
who seek to be saved shall not attain it; not as if any of those 
who really and cordially made it their business to look af- 
ter heaven, can ever miss of it ; but, that many of those 
who presuming upon their seeming obedience and good 
works shall think and seek that way to enter into the king- 
dom of God, shall not be able. For many will say unto 
me at that day, saith he, Ford, Lo?*d, have ?ve not pro- 
phesied in thy name, and in thy name cast out devils, 
and in thy name done many wonderful works ? and 
then I will profess unto them, I never knew you : depart 
from me, ye that work iniquity, Matt. vii. 22, 23. And 
if many of those who are great professors of religion, and 
make a plausible shew of piety in the world, shall not- 
withstanding come short of eternal happiness, and if out 
of those many which arc called, there are but few chosen, 
Matt. xx. 16. we may well conclude there are but few in- 
deed that walk in the narrow path that leads to life, in 
comparison of those innumerable multitudes that continu- 
ally flock together in the broad way that leads to ruin and 
destruction. One great reason whereof is, because men 
generally, though they desire to go to heaven, yet will 
not believe it to be so hard a thing as it really is, to get 
thither; and therefore setting aside the superficial per- 
formance of some few external duties, they give themselves 
no trouble, nor take any pains about it ; as if heaven was 
so contemptible a thing, that it is not worth their while to 
look after it ; or howsoever, as if it was so easy a thing to 
attain it, that they cannot miss it whether they look after 
it or no. Whereas questionless, as heaven is the greatest 
happiness that we are capable of, so it is the hardest mat- 
ter in the world for any of us to attain it. 

I say not tills to discourage any one, but rather to ex- 
cite and encourage all to a greater care and diligence in the 
prosecution of eternal happiness, than ordinarily men seem 
to have. It is my hearty desire and prayer that every 



ENTER IN AT THE STRAIT GATE. 273 

soul among us may live and be happy for ever ; but that 
we can never be, unless we be serious, earnest and con- 
stant in looking after it, more than after ail things in the 
world besides. And therefore it is that I have endeavour- 
ed to convince men that it is not so easy a thing as they 
make it, to go to heaven, the path being so exceeding nar- 
row that leads unto it ; which I hope by this time we are 
all persuaded of, so as to be resolved within ourselves to 
play no longer with religion, but to set upon it in good 
earnest, so as to make it not only our great, but our only 
business and design in this world to prepare for another, 
and to work out our salvation with fear and trembling, 
and by consequence to walk in that narrow way of true 
piety and virtue that leads to heaven, without going aside 
into the vices on either hand ; or howsoever to use the in> 
most of our endeavour to observe the rules which Christ 
hath prescribed us, in order to our living with him for 
ever. And oh that I knew what words to take unto my- 
self, and what arguments to use, whereby to prevail with 
every soul of us to make it our business to get to heaven ; 
and by consequence to walk directly in the narrow way, 
Find through the strait gate that leads unto it. What in- 
fluence o:: effect they may have upon the readers, I know 
not, howsoever I shall endeavour to present them with some 
such considerations, as I hope, by the blessing of God, 
and the assistance of his grace, may be so forcible and pre-? 
valent upon them, if seriously weighed, that they should 
not methinks be able to resist them. 

Let us consider therefore in the first place, that though 
it be never so hard to get to heaven, yet it is possible ; and 
though there be but few that come thither, }^et there are 
some ; and why may not you and I be in the number of 
those few as well as others ? There are many perfect and 
glorious saints in heaven at this moment, which once were 
sinful creatures upon earth as we now are ; but it seems 
the way thither was not so narrow but they could walk in 
it, nor the gate so strait but they could pass through it ; 
and why may not we as well as they ? We have the same 
natures whereby we are capable of happiness as they had ; 
we have the same scriptures to direct us to it as they had ; 
we have the same promises of assistance as they had; we 
have the same Saviour as they had, and, why then may we 
not get to the same place where they are ? Is the way more 
narrow, and the gate more strait to us than it was to 
them ? No, surely, it is every way the same, Why then 

M 5 



274 THOUGHTS UPON STRIVING TO 

should we despair of ever attaining everlasting glory, see- 
ing we are as capable of it as any one who hath yet attain- 
ed it ? It is true, if no mortal men had ever got to heaven, 
or God had said none ever can get thither, then indeed it 
would be in vain for us to expect it, or to use any means to 
attain it ; but seeing many of our brethren are already 
there, and many more will follow after them, and we are 
as capable of coming to them as any other, the straitness of 
the gate, the narrowness of the way, or the difficulty of 
getting thither, should never discourage us from endea- 
vouring after it, no more than it did them, but rather 
make us more diligent in the prosecution of it : especially 
considering in the next place that we are not only as yet 
in a capacity of getting to heaven, but we are all invited 
thither, and that by God himself, for he would have all 
men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the 
truth, 1 Tim. ii. 4. Yea, he hath sworn by himself, 
saying, As I live, saith the Lord, I have no pleasure 
in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn 
from his way and live ; and therefore call upon us all, 
Turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways, for why will ye die, 
house of Israel ! Ezek. xxxiii. 11. Hence it is that he 
sent his prophets to invite us, Ho, every one thai thirst- 
eth, come ye to the waters, Isaiah lv. 1. Yea, he came 
down in his own person to earth, on purpose to invite us 
to heaven, and to direct us the way thither : Cow y e to me, 
saith he, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will 
give you rest, Matt. xi. 29. For God so loved the world, 
that he gave his only begotten So?i, that whosoever believeth 
in him should not perish, but have everlasting life, John iii. 
16. Whence we may observe, that there is no exception 
made against any person whatsoever, nor by consequence 
against any of us. It is the will, yea, and command of 
God too, that we all turn from our evil way and live, and 
that every soul amongst us walk in that narrow way that 
leads to eternal bliss ; and therefore if any of us do perish, 
Our blood will be upon our own heads, our destruction is f ran 
ourselves, Hos. xiii. {). For it is nothing but the perverse- 
ness of our own hearts, tl ::t can keep any soul of us out of 
heaven, however difficult it is to come thither. For God 
hath shewn how desirous he is to have our company there, 
in that he is still pleased to grant us both the space and 
means of repentance. If he had no mind to have us saved, 
he could have shut us up long ago in hell ; but he is so 
far from that, that he doth not only as yet continue our 



ENTER IN AT THE STRAIT GATE. 273 

abode on earth, and lengthen our tranquillity here,, but he 
still vouchsafes unto us whatsoever is necessary; yea, 
whatsoever can anyways conduce to our eternal happiness; 
we have his scriptures, we have his sabbaths, we have his 
ordinances, we have his sacraments, we have his minis- 
ters, we have the promise of his Spirit, we have the over- 
tures of Christ, and of all the merits of his death and pas- 
sion made unto us ; and what can be desired more to 
make men happy : and yet as if all this had not been 
enough, he still continues calling upon us, exhorting, com- 
manding, yea, and beseeching us most affectionately to 
turn, that our souls may live ; for we his ministers are am- 
bassadors to mankind for Christ, as though God did be- 
seech you .by us : We pray you in Christ's stead to be re~ 
conciled to God, 2 Cor. v. 20. And he hath sent me unto 
you that read this, in a particular manner at this time, to 
call you back out of the broad way that leads to death, into 
the narrow way that leads to life and happiness ; in his 
name, therefore I exhort, yea, and beseech you by the ?ner*>- 
cies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, 
holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service s 
Rom. xii. 1. Strive to enter in at the strait gate, and never 
leave till you have got possession of eternal glory. 

Nor let us be discouraged at any difficulties that we 
meet with in the way, for they will soon be over ; howso* 
ever hard and difficult any duty may seem at first, by use 
and custom it will soon grow easy. The worst is at our 
first setting out ; when once we have been used a while to 
walk in this narrow way, we shall find it to be both easy 
and pleasant : for, as the wise man tells us, the ways of 
wisdom or true piety are ways of pleasantness, and all her 
■paths are peace, Prov. iii. 17. Though it be rough at first, 
by treading it will soon grow plain ; we shall soon find the 
words of Christ to be true, that his yoke is easy, and his 
burthen light, Matt. xi. 39* All is but to be willing and 
obedient, and resolved upon it, to press through all diffi- 
culties whatsoever to get to heaven, «and then by the me- 
rits of Christ's passion, and the assistance of his grace, we 
need not fear but we shall come thither. 

And verily, although the way to heaven should prove 
not only narrow, but hedged in with briars and thorns, so. 
that we should meet with nothing but crosses and troubles 
in our going to it, yet heaven will make amends for all. 
For we may well reckon with the apostle, thai the suffer* 

M 6 



THOUGHTS UPON' STRIVING TO 

of this life are not worth* to be compared with the glory 
that shall h Horn. viii. 18. So that whatso- 

ever pains we are at, whatsoever trouble we suffer in or- 
der to our attaining everlasting happiness, bears no pro- 
portion at all to the ha] we attain by it ; which 
grea f "eat, that our tongues can neither ex- 
as yet conceive it ; consisting not 
only in the freedom from all evil, but also in the enjoy- 
ment of really and truly good ; even whatsoever 
can a duce to the n \ perfectly and com- 
pletely happy : so that no duty car. _:eat to under- 
take, no trouble too heavy to undergo for it. Wherefore, 
that I may use the word.- of the apostle to my readers. My 

a always 
abounding in of the Jjord, forasmuch as ye know 

that your labour shall the Lord, 1 Cor. 

xv. 58. 

By this time I hope we are all resolved within ourselves 
to follow our Saviour's counsel and advice, even to strive to 
in at the strait gate, and walk in that narrow way that 
leads to life. If Ave be not, we have just cause to su 
ourselves to be in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of 
iniquity ; but if we be but resolved in good earnest, we 
cannot but be ver us to know what we must do in 

order to it, or ho one of us may eider in at the 

strait date, so as to b for ever? A question of the 

mportano : so that it is absolute!] 

cessary & 

edin it, for it concerns our life, our immortal and eternal 
life ; and therefore I shall endeavour to resolve it in as few 
and perspiciu bly I can, that the meanest 

city may understand it. But I mustuke leave to say 
beforehand, that our knowing of it wi 

• 
en, because you i. / to it, unless you aUo 

walk in it. 

And therefore the first t] ropound, in order 

e immc- 
ly in the ill for 

the I 

r's advice 

not halt any 

k heaven 

ite to one 






ENTER IN AT THE STRAIT GATE. 277 

another. If we really think earth to be better than hea- 
ven,, what need we trouble ourselves any farther, than to 
heap up the riches, and to enjoy the pleasures of this 
world ? But if we really think heaven to be better than 
earth, as all wise men must needs do, then let us mind 
that, and concern not ourselves about this. We know 
what our Saviour told us long ago, No man can serve two 
masters, for either he will hate the one, and love the other, 
or else he will hold with the one, and desjnse the other : ye 
cannot serve God and mammon, Matt. vii. 14. that is, in 
plain English, we cannot mind heaven and earth both to- 
gether ; for we can have but one grand and principal de- 
sign in the world; and therefore if our principal design be to 
get wealth or any earthly enjoyment, we deceive ourselves, 
if we think that we mind heaven at all. For that we can 
never properly be said to do, until we mind it before all 
things whatsoever in the world besides ; and let us not say, 
or think within ourselves, that it is an hard saying, for we 
may assure ourselves it is no more than what we shall find 
to be really true ; and that never a soul of us shall ever 
know what heaven is, that doth not first prefer it before 
all things here below, and by consequence make it his 
principal, if not only design to get thither. 

Supposing us therefore to be thus resolved within our- 
selves, my next advice is, that we break off our former 
sins by repentance, and shewing mercy to the poor, and 
that for the future we live not in the wilful commission of 
any known sin, nor yet in the wilful neglect of any known 
duty. Where it is evident, I advise to no more than what 
all men know themselves to be obliged to do ; for I dare 
say, there is none of us know so little, but what if he 
would but live up to what he knows, he could not be but 
both holy and happy. Let us but avoid what we our- 
selves know to be sin, and do what we know to be our 
duty, and though our knowledge may not be so great as 
others, yet our piety may be greater and our condition bet- 
ter. But we must still remember, that que sin will keep 
us out of heaven as well as twenty ; and therefore, if we 
ever desire to come thither, we must not only do some or 
many things, but all things, whatsoever is required of us, 
to the best of our knowledge. I speak not this of myself, 
but Christ himself hath told us the same before, even that 
we must keep the commandments, all the commandments, 
if we desire to enter into eternal life,. Matt. xix. \6, 17. 
Not as if it was indispensibly necessary to observe every 



278 THOUGHTS UPON STRIVING, &C. 

punctilio and circumstance of the moral law, for then no 
man could be saved ; but that it must be both our sted- 
fast resolution, and our chief study and endeavour to avoid 
whatsoever we know to be forbidden, and to perform what- 
soever we know to be commanded by God. 

And though by this we shall make a fair progress in the 
narrow way to life, yet there is still another step behind, 
before we can enter in at the strait gate, and that is to be- 
lieve in Jesus Christ, as our Saviour himself has taught us, 
Matt. xix. 21. The sum of which duty in brief is this, that 
when we have done all we can in obedience to the moral 
law, yet we must still look upon ourselves as unprofitable 
servants, and not expect to be justified or saved by virtue 
of that obedience, but only the merits of Christ's death 
and passion ; humbly confiding that, in and through him, 
the defects of our obedience shall be remitted, our persons 
accepted, our natures cleansed, and our souls eternally 
saved. This is not only the principal, but the only thing 
which Paul and Silas directed the keeper of the prison to, 
in order to his salvation, as comprehending all the rest un- 
der it, or at least supposing them, Acts xvi. Si, 

Thus therefore, though obedience be the way, faith is 
the gate through which we must enter into life. But see- 
ing the gate is strait as well as the way narrow, and it is 
as hard to believe in Christ as to observe the law, we must 
not think to do either by our own strength, but still im- 
plore the aid and assistance of almighty God, and depend 
upon him for it. For Christ himself saith, No man can 
come unto me, except the Father which sent me, draw him, 
John vi. 44. But we can never expect that he should 
draw us, unless we desire it of him ; and therefore it must 
be our daily prayer and petition at the throne of grace, 
that God would vouchsafe us his especial grace and assist- 
ance, without which I cannot see how any one that knows 
his own heart, can expect to be saved. But our comfort 
is, if we do what we can, God will hear our prayers, and 
enable us to do what otherwise we cannot ; for he never yet 
did, nor ever will fail any man that sincerely endeavours 
to serve and honour him. 

Lastly, Although we are to trust in God for the answer 
of our prayers in this particular, yet we must not expect 
that he should do it immediately from himself, but we must 
use those means which himself hath appointed whereby to 
work faith, and by consequence all other graces in us. 
Now the scripture tells us that faith conies by hearing, 



THOUGHTS UPON THE IMITATION OF CHRIST. 2?9 

Rom. x. 17. Wherefore, if we desire to believe, so as to 
be saved, we must wait upon God in his public ordinances, 
and there expect such influences of his grace and Spirit 
whereby we may be enabled to walk in the narrow way, 
and enter in at the strait gate that leads to life. 

Thus I have shewn you in a few terms, how to do the 
great work which you came into the world about, even 
how to get to heaven. For howsoever hard it is to come 
hither, let us but resolve, as we have seen, to mind it be- 
fore all things else, fear God and keep his commandments 
to the utmost of our power, believe in Christ for the par- 
don of our sins, and acceptance both of our persons and 
performances ; pray sincerely to God, and wait diligently 
upon him for the assistance of his grace, to do what he re- 
quires from us. Let us do this, and we need not fear but 
our souls shall live. If we leave this undone, we ourselves 
shall be undone for ever. And therefore let me advise all 
to dally no longer in a matter of such consequence as this, 
but now know the way to heaven, to turn immediately 
into it, and walk constantly in it. Though the way be 1 
narrow, it is not long, and though the gate be strait, it 
opens into eternal life. And therefore to conclude, let us 
remember we have now been told how to get to heaven ; 
it is not in my power to force men thither, whether they 
will or no ; I can only shew them the way. It is their in- 
terest as well as duty to walk in it ; which if they do, I 
dare assure them in the name of Christ, it is not long but 
they will be 7 admitted into the choir of heaven, to sing hal- 
lelujahs for evermore. 



THOUGHTS UPON THE IMITATION 
OF CHRIST. 

IF we seriously consider with ourselves, that wonder of 
all wonders, that mystery of all mysteries, the incarna- 
tion of the Son of God, it may justly strike us into asto- 
nishment, and an admiration what should be the reason 
and the end of it ; why the great and glorious, the almigh- 
ty and eternal God, should take our weak and finite na- 
ture into his infinite and incomprehensible person ? Why 
the Creator of all things should himself become a creature? 
And he that made the world be himself made into it ? Why 
the supreme Being of all beings, that gives essence and 
existence to all tilings in the world., whose glory the hea« 



2S0 THOUGHTS UPON THE 

ven of heavens is not able to contain, should clothe him- 
self with flesh and become man, of the self- same nature 
and substance with us, who live, and move, and have our 
being in him ? certainly it was not upon airy frivolous or 
ordinary account that the most high God manifested him- 
self to the sons of men in so wonderful and extraordinary 
a manner as this was. But he did it questionless upon 
some design that was as great and glorious as the act itself. 
And if we would know what his end and design in com- 
ing into the world was, the scriptures assure us in gene- 
ral, that it was for the salvation of mankind whose nature 
he assumed. For this is a faithful saying, and worthy of 
all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to sate 
sinners, 1 Tim. i. 25. And he himself tells us, That God 
so loved the world, that he sent his only begotten Son, that 
whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlast- 
ing life, John iii. 16. Now for the accomplishment of this 
no less glorious than gracious design, there are two things 
which it was necessary he should do for us, whilst he was 
upon earth, even expiate our former sins, and direct us 
unto holiness for the future; both which he hath effected 
for us : the one by his death, and the other by his life. 

For by his death he hath paid that debt which we owed 
to God, having made complete satisfaction to God's justice 
for those sins whereby we have incurred his displeasure ; 
for death was threatened to all mankind in case of disobe- 
dience, and by consequence all mankind being disobedi- 
ent, are obnoxious to it. Neither would it stand with the 
justice of God, to falsify his word, nor yet with his glory, 
to put up the injuries that we have committed against 
him, without having satisfaction made unto him for them. 
But it being impossible that a finite creature should satis- 
fy for those sins which were committed against the in- 
finite God : hence the infinite God himself was pleas- 
ed to undertake it for us, even to satisfy himself for those 
sins which were committed against him ; which he did, by 
undergoing that death which he had threatened to us in 
our own nature, united to the person of his own and only 
Son, God co-equal, co-essential, co-eternal, with himself, 
who is therefore said to be a propitiation for our sins, 1 John 
ii. 2. Neither can there any reason imaginable be alleged, 
why the Son of God himself should suffer death, unless it 
was upon our account, and in our stead, whose nature he 
assumed, and in which he suffered it. But not to insist 
upon that now : the human nature in general having thus 
suffered that death in the person of the Son of God, which 



IMITATION OF CHRIST. 281 

all mankind was otherwise bound to have undergone in 
their persons ; hence it comes to pass, that we are all in a 
capacity of avoiding that death which we have deserved by 
our sins, if we do but rightly believe in Christ, and apply 
his suffering to ourselves. 

And as Christ by his death and passion hath thus satis- 
fied for our sins, so hath he by his life and actions given 
us an exact pattern of true piety and virtue. And although 
1 cannot say, it was the only, yet questionless one great 
end wherefore he continued so long on earth, and con- 
versed so much amongst men, and that so many of his ac- 
tions are delivered to us with so many circumstances as 
they are, was, that we, by his example, might learn how 
to carry and behave ourselves in this lower world. For as 
from that time to this, so from the beginning of the world 
to that time, there had never been a man upon the face of 
the earth, that had lived so conformably to the lav/ of 
God, that it was safe or lawful for another to follow him 
in all things. For all flesh was corrupt, and the very best 
of men were still but men, subject to failures in their lives, 
as well as errors in their judgments ; yea those very per- 
sons whom the scriptures record, and God himself attest- 
eth to have been eminent in then* generation for piety and 
justice, did oftentimes fail in both. Noah is asserted by 
God himself to have been righteous in his generation, 
Abraham to be the father of the faithful, Moses to be the 
meekest man upon earth, David to be a man after God's 
own heart, Solomon to have been the wisest man that ever 
lived, and Job to be a perfect and upright man, one that 
feared God and eschewed evil : yet none of these most ex- 
cellent persons but had their vices as well as virtues : and 
it is observable, that the more eminent any were in piety, 
the more notorious sins God hath sometimes suffered them 
to slip into, to keep them humble. So that from the first 
to the second Adam, there never lived a man of whom it 
could be said, this man never sinned, never transgressed 
the laws of God, and therefore may in all things be imitat- 
ed by men. 

But now as the first was made, the second Adam conti- 
nued all along most pure and perfect, both in thought, 
word, and action : for he did no sin, neither was guile found 
in his mouth, 1 Pet. ii. 22. Never so much as a vain 
thought ever sprang up in his most holy heart, not so much 
as an idle word ever proceeded out of his divine lips, nor 
so much as an impertinent or frivolous action was ever per- 
formed by his sacred and most righteous hands ; his whole 



282 THOUGHTS UPON THE 

life being nothing else but one continued act of piety to- 
wards God,, justice towards men, love and charity towards 
all. And as himself lived, so would he have all his disci- 
ples live whilst they are here below ; and therefore enjoins 
them that go after him, not only to deny themselves, and 
take up their crosses, but also to follow, or imitate him to 
the utmost of their power in their life and actions. So 
that he now expects that all those who profess themselves 
to be his disciples, do first deny themselves whatsoever is 
offensive unto him ; and then take up their cross so as to 
be ready and willing to do or suffer any thing for him that 
hath done and suffered so much as he hath for us. And 
then lastly, that they write after the copy that he hath set 
them, and walk in the steps wherein he hath gone before 
them; even that they follow him through all duties and 
difficulties whatsoever, so as still to do unto the utmost of 
their power as he did, otherwise they in vain pretend to 
be his disciples. For he that saith he abideth in him, ought 
himself also to walk even as he walked, 1 John ii. 6. that is, 
he that professeth to believe in Jesus Christ, should live as 
he lived while he was upon earth. Hence St. Paul, a true 
disciple of Christ, saith, Be ye followers of me, even as I 
also am of Christ, 1 Cor. xi. 1. As he followed Christ, he 
would have others to follow him ; but he would have them 
follow him no farther than as he followed Christ. 

It is true, we were bound to be holy and righteous in all 
our ways, whether we had ever heard of Christ's being so 
or no, the law of God first obliged us to be so ; but how- 
soever, we have now an additional obligation upon us to 
be holy, As he who hath called us was holy in all manner of 
conversation, 1 Pet. i. 15. For the scripture tells us ex- 
pressly, that Christ hath left us an example that we should 
follow his steps, 1 Pet. ii. 21. And our Saviour himself 
commands all that come to him, to learn of him, Matt. 
xi. 29, 30. And therefore we can never expect that he 
should own us for his disciples, unless we own him for 
our Lord and Master, so far as to obey and follow him ; 
he having commanded all those that come to him, to deny 
themselves, take up their crosses and follow him. And 
seeing we all, I hope, desire to be Christians indeed, as I 
have explained the two former of these duties, I shall now 
endeavour to give the true meaning of the latter too, that 
we may all so follow Christ here, as to come to him here- 
after. 

Now for the opening of this, we must know that we nei- 



IMITATION OF CHRIST. 285 

ther can or ought to follow Christ in every thing he did 
when he was here below ; for even whilst he was here be- 
low, he was still the most high and mighty God, the same 
that he had been from eternity, and often manifested his 
power and glory to the sons of men, whilst he was con- 
versing with them in their own nature, wherein it would 
be horrid presumption for us to pretend to follow him. 
As for example, He knew the very thoughts of men, Matt. 
xii. 25. which I suppose is something past our skill to do. 
Hence also he judged and censured others, Woe unto you, 
saith he, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for ye are like 
to painted sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful out- 
wardly, but are within full of dead mens bones, and of all 
uncleanness, Matt, xxiii. 27, 28. But this we could not 
do though we might, not being able to search into others 
hearts ; neither may we do it, though we could r Christ 
himself having expressly commanded the contrary, say- 
ing, Judge not, that ye be not judged, Matt. vii. 1. Our 
Saviour also, as God, foretold future events, Luke xxi. 6. 
and wrought miracles, such as were clear demonstrations 
of his infinite power and Godhead ; but in this he is to be 
believed and admired, not followed or imitated by us. 
Thus also when he sent his disciples to loose another man's 
colt, and bring him aw^ay, Luke xix. 30. that he did as 
Lord and Sovereign of the world, or as the supreme Pos- 
sessor and universal Proprietor of all things ; as when he 
commanded the Israelites to spoil the Egyptians, and car- 
ry away their jewels and raiment ; for all things being his, 
he may give them to whom he pleaseth ; and though it 
would have been a sin to have taken them away without 
his command, yet his command gave them a property in 
them, a right and title to them, and they had sinned un- 
less they had obeyed the command. So here our Savi- 
our sent for the colt, as if it had been his own, for so 
really it was, as he is God, which he manifested himself 
to be at the same time, in that he inclined the heart of 
the civil owner thereof to let him go, only upon the disci- 
ples saying, that the Lord had need of him, Luke xix. S3, 
34. But this he did not for our example, but to shew forth 
his own power and glory. 

There are some tilings also which our blessed Saviour 
did, as God-man, or as the Mediator betwixt God and 
man, as his making atonement and satisfaction for the sins 
of mankind, his instituting offices and ordinances, and sa- 
craments in his church, and the like ; which have an im* 



284 THOUGHTS UPON THE 

mediate respect to his office of Mediator, and being done 
upon that account, we neither may nor can imitate him in 
such things. But the things which he would have us to 
follow him in, are such and such only as he did as mere 
man, that had no immediate dependance upon or reference 
to either his Godhead or Mediatorship. For he having 
honoured our nature so far, as to take it into his owti di- 
vine person, so as to become really and truly man ; as so, 
he did whatsoever man is bound to do, both as to God 
himself, and likewise unto man ; and being absolutely per- 
fect in all the faculties of the soul, and members of his 
body, he infinitely surpassed all other men both in divine 
graces and moral virtues ; so that as he never committed 
any one sin, so neither did he neglect any one duty, which 
as man he was bound to perform either to God, or men, 
but still observed every punctilio and circumstance of the 
moral law ; by which means he left us a complete pattern 
of truth and universal holiness, and hath enjoined us all to 
follow it. 

Hoping therefore, that all who profess themselves to 
be the friends and disciples of Jesus Christ, desire to ma- 
nifest themselves to be so, by following both his precepts 
and example, I shall give the reader a short narrative of his 
life and actions, wherein we may all see what true piety 
is, and what real Christianity requires of us : and may not 
content ourselves as many do, with being professors, and 
adhering to parties or factions amongst us, but strive to be 
thorough Christians, and to carry ourselves as such, by 
w r alking as Christ himself walked ; which that w r e may at 
least know how to do, looking upon Christ as a mere man, 
I shall shew how he did, and by consequence how we 
ought to carry ourselves both to God and man, and what 
graces and virtues he exercised all along for our example 
and imitation. 

Now for our more clear and methodical proceeding, in 
a matter of such consequence as this is, I shall begin with 
his behaviour towards men, from his childhood to his 
death. 

First, Therefore, when he was a child of twelve years 
of age, it is particularly recorded of him, that he was sub- 
ject or obedient to his parents, his real mother and reput- 
ed father, Luke ii. 51. It is true, he knew at that time 
that God himself was his Father, for, said he, wist ye not 
thai I must be about ?nj/ Father s business ? chap. ii. 49- 
And knowing God to be his Father, he couid not but 






IMITATION OF CHRIST. 285 

know likewise that he was infinitely above his mother; 
yea, that she could never have borne him, had not himself 
first made and supported her. Yet howsoever, though as 
God he was Father to her, yet as man she was mother to 
him, and therefore he honoured and obeyed both her and 
him to whom she was espoused. Neither did he only re- 
spect his mother whilst he was here, but he took care of 
her too when he was going hence. Yea, all the pains he 
suffered upon the cross could not make him forget his duty 
to her that bore him ; but seeing her standing by the cross, 
as himself hung on it, he committed her to the care of his 
beloved disciple, who took her to his own home, John xix. 
27- Now, as our Saviour did, so are we bound to carry 
ourselves to our earthly parents, whatsoever their temper 
or condition be in this world. Though God hath blessed 
some of us perhaps with greater estates than ever he bless- 
ed them, yet we must not think ourselves above them, 
nor be at all the less respectful to them. Christ, we see, 
was infinitely above his mother, yet as she was his mo- 
ther, he was both subject and respectful to her. He was 
not ashamed to own her as she stood by the cross, but, in 
the view and hearing of all there present, gave his disciple 
a charge to take care of her ; leaving us an example, that 
such amongst us as have parents, provide for them if they 
need it, as for our children, both while we live, and when, 
we come to die. 

And as he was to his natural, so was he too to his civil 
parents the magistrates under which he lived, submissive 
and faithful : for though as he was God, he was infinitely 
above them in heaven, ye as he was man, he was below 
them on earth, having committed all civil power into their 
hands, without reserving any at all for himself. So that 
though they received their commission from him, yet now 
himself could not act without receiving a commission 
from them. And therefore having no commission from 
them to do it, he would not intrench so much upon their 
privilege and power, as to determine the controversy be- 
twixt the two brethren contending about their inheritance ; 
Man, saith he, who made me a judge or a divider over you ? 
Luke xii. 14. And to shew his submission to the civil ma- 
gistrates, as highly as possible he could, rather than of- 
fendthem, he wrought a miracle to pay the tax which they 
had charged upon him, Matt. xvii. 27. And when the 
officers were sent to take him, though he had more than 
twelve legions of angels at his service to have fought for 



286 THOUGHTS UPON THE 

him if he had pleased, yet he would not employ them, nor 
suffer his own disciples to make any resistance, Matt. xxvi. 
52, 53. And though some of late days, who call them- 
selves Christians, have acted quite contrary to our blessed 
Saviour in this particular, I hope better things of my rea- 
ders, even that they will behave themselves more like 
Christ, who, though he was supreme Governor of the 
world, yet would not resist, but submitted to the civil 
power, which himself had entrusted men withal. 

Moreover, although whilst he was here, he was really 
not only the best but greatest man upon earth, yet he car- 
ried himself to others with that meekness, humility, and 
respect, as if he had been the least ; as he never admired 
any man for his riches, so neither did he despise any man 
for his poverty ; poor men and rich were all alike to him. 
He was as lowly and respectful to the lowest, as he was to 
the highest that he conversed with : he affected no titles 
of honour, nor gaped after popular air, but submitted him- 
self to the meanest services that he could, for the good 
of others, even to the washing his own disciples* feet, and 
all to teach us that we can never think too lowly of our- 
selves, nor do any thing that is beneath us ; propound- 
ing himself as our example, especially in this particular, 
" Learn of me," saith he, " for I am meek and lowly in 
heart," Matt. xi. 29. 

His humility also was the more remarkable, in that his 
bounty and goodness to others was so great, for he went 
about doing good, Acts x. 38. Wheresoever you read he 
was, you read still of some good work or other he did 
there. Whatsoever company he conversed with, they 
still went better from him than they came unto him, if they 
came out of a good end. By him, as himself said, " the 
blind received their sight, and the lame walked, the le- 
pers were cleansed, and the deaf heard, the dead were 
raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached unto 
them," Matt. xi. 5. Yea, it is observable, that we never 
read of any person whatsoever that came to him, desiring 
any kindness or favour of him, but he still received it, and 
that whether he was friend or foe. For indeed, though 
he had many inveterate and implacable enemies in the 
world, yet he bore no grudge or malice against them, but 
expressed as much love and favour for them as to his great- 
est friends. Insomuch that when they had gotten him 
upon the cross, and fastened his hands and feet unto it, in 
the midst of all that pain and torment winch they put him 
to, he still prayed for them, Luke xxiii. 34. 



IMITATION OP CHRIST. 287 

Oh ! how happy, how blessed a people should we be, 
could we but follow our blessed Saviour in this particular ! 
How well would it be with us, could we but be thus lov- 
ing to one another, as Christ was to all, even his most 
bitter enemies ? We may assure ourselves it is not only 
our misery but our sin too, unless we be so. And our 
sin will be the greater, now we know our Master's plea- 
sure, unless we do it. And therefore, let all such amongst 
us, as desire to carry ourselves as Christ himself did, and 
as becometh his disciples in the world, begin here. 

Be submissive and obedient both to our parents and go- 
vernors, humble in our own sight, despise none, but be 
charitable, loving, and good to all : by this shall all men 
know' that we are Christ's disciples indeed. 

Having thus seen our Saviours carriage towards men, 
we shall now consider his piety and devotion towards 
God : not as if it was possible for me to express the excel- 
lency and perfection of those religious acts which he per- 
formed continually within his soul to God, every one of 
its faculties being as entire in itself, and as perfect in its 
acts, as it was first made or designed to be. There was no 
darkness, nor so much as gloominess in his mind, no er- 
ror or mistake in his judgment, no bribery nor corruption 
in his conscience, no obstinacy or perverseness in his will, 
no irregularity nor disorder in his affections, no spot, no 
blot, no blemish, not the least imperfection or infirmity in 
his whole soul. And therefore even whilst his body was on 
earth, his head and heart were still in heaven. For he ne- 
ver troubled his head, nor so much as concerned himself 
about any thing here below, any further than to do all 
the good he could, his thoughts being wholly taken up 
with considering how to advance God's glory and man's 
eternal happiness. And as for his heart, that was the al- 
tar on which the sacred fire of divine love was always 
burning, the flames whereof continually ascended up to 
heaven, being accompanied with the most ardent and fer- 
vent desires of, and delight in, the chiefest good. 

But it must not be expected that I should give an exact 
description of that eminent and most perfect holiness which 
our blessed Saviour was inwardly adorned with, and con- 
tinually employed in ; which I am as unable to express as 
desirous to imitate. But howsoever, I shall endeavour to 
mind the reader in general of such acts of piety and de- 
votion, which are particularly recorded, on purpose for 
our imitation. 



288 . THOUGHTS UPON THE 

First, Therefore, it is observed of our Saviour, that/row 
a child he increased in wisdom, as he did in stature, Luke ii. 
62. Where by wisdom we are to understand the know- 
ledge of God, and divine things. For our Saviour having 
taken our nature into his person, with all its frailties and 
infirmities, as it is a created being, he did not in that na- 
ture presently know all things which were to be known. 
It is true, as God, he then knew all things as well as he 
had from all eternity : but we are now speaking of him as 
man, like one of us in all things except sin. But we con- 
tinue some considerable time after we are born before we 
know any thing, or come to the use of our reason ; the ra- 
tional soul not being able to exert pr manifest itself until 
the natural phlegm and radical moisture of the body, 
which in infants is predominant, be so digested that the 
body be rightly qualified, and its organs fitted for the soul 
to work upon, and to make use of. And though our Savi- 
our came to the use of his reason, as man, far sooner than 
we are wont to do, yet we must not think that he knew 
all things as soon as he was born ; for that the nature he 
assumed was not capable of; neither could he then be said, 
as he is, to increase in wisdom, for where there is a per- 
fection there can be no increase. 

But here before we proceed farther, it will be necessary 
to answer an objection which some may make against this. 
For, if our Saviour as man knew not all things, then he 
was not perfect, nor absolutely free from sin, ignorance 
itself being a sin. 

To this I have these things to answer ; first, it is no sin 
for a creature to be ignorant of some things, because it is 
impossible for a creature to know all things ; for to be om- 
nici^nt is God's prerogative, neither is a creature capable 
of it, because he is but finite, whereas the knowledge of 
all things, or omniscience, is itself an infinite act, and 
therefore to be performed only by an infinite being. Hence 
it is that no creature in the world ever was, or ever could 
be made omniscient ; but there are many things which 
Adam in his integrity, and the very angels themselves 
are ignorant of; as our Saviour, speaking of the day of 
judgment, saith, Of that day and hour, knoweth no man, 
no not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, hut 
the Father, Mark xiii. 32. But the angels arc nevertheless 
perfect, because they know not this. Nay, it is observ- 
able that the Son himself, as man, knew it not : neither, 
saith he, the Son, but the Father ; and if he knew it not 
2 



IMITATION OF CHRIST. - £89 

then, much less was it necessary for him to know it when 
a child. 

Secondly, As to be ignorant of some things is no sin, so 
neither is any ignorance at all sin, but that whereby a 
man is ignorant of what he is bound to know : For all sin 
is the transgression of the imv. And therefore, if there 
be no law obliging me to know such or such things, I 
do not sinb}' being ignorant of them, for I transgress no 
law. Nov/, though all men ai e bound by the Low of God 
to know him, and their duty to him, yet infants, so long 
as infants, ;-re not, neither can be obnoxious or subject to 
that law, they being ii* a natural \i -capacity, yea, impos- 
sibility to perform it ; but as they become by degrees 
capable of Knowing air obliged question* 

less to know him first, from whom they receive their 
knowledge. 

And yhns it was that our blessed Saviour perfectly ful* 
filled the law of Gcd; in that although he tiiigfit still con* 
tinue ignorant of many things, yet howsoever he all along 
knew all that he was bound to know, and as he grew by 
degrees more and more capable of knowing any thing, so 
did he increase still more in true wisdom, or in the know-* 
ledge of God : so that by that time he was twelve years 
old, he was able to dispute with the great doctors and 
learned Rabbis among the Jews ; and after that, as he 
grew in stature, so did he grow hi wisdom too, and in fa* 
vour both with God and man. 

And verily, although we did not follow our blessed Sa* 
viour in this particular when we were children, we ought 
howsoever to endeavour it now we are men and women, 
even to grow in wisdom, and every day add something to 
our spiritual stature, so as to let never a day pass over our 
heads, without being better acquainted with God's good* 
ness to us, or our duty to him. And by this example 
of our Saviour's growing in wisdom when a child, we 
should also learn to bring up our children in the nurture 
and admonition of the Lord ; and not to strive so much to 
make them rich, as to use all means to make them wise 
and good, that they may do as their Saviour did, even grovr 
in wisdom and in stature, and in the favour both of GodL 
and man. 

And as our Saviour grew in wisdom when a child, so did 
he use and manifest it when he came to be a man, by de- 
voting himself wholly unto the service of the living God, 
and to the exercise of all true grace and virtue ; wherein 

N 



290 THOUGHTS UPON THE 

his blessed soul was so much taken up, that he had nei- 
ther time nor heart to mind those toys and trifles which 
silly mortals upon earth are so much apt to dote on. It 
is true, all the world was his, but he had given it all away 
to others, not reserving for himself so much as an house 
to put his head in, Matt. viii. 20. And what money he 
had hoarded up, you may gather from his working a mi- 
racle to pay his tribute or poll money, which came not to 
much above a shilling. Indeed, he came into the world, 
and went out again, without ever taking any notice of any 
pleasures, honours, or riches in it, as if there had been no 
such thing here, as really there w^as not, or ever will be; 
all the pomp and glory of this deceitful world having no 
other being or existence, but only in our distempered 
fancies and imaginations, and therefore our Saviour, whose 
fancy was sound, and his imagination untainted, looked 
upon all the world and the glory of it as not worthy to be 
looked upon, seeing nothing in it wherefore it should be 
desired. And therefore instead of spending his time in 
the childish pursuit of clouds and shadows, he made the 
service of God not only his business, but his recreation 
too, his food, as well as work. It is my meat, saith he, 
to do the will of him that sent me, and tojinish his work, 
John iv. 34. This was all the riches, honours and plea- 
sures, which he sought for in the world, even to do the 
will of him that sent him thither, to finish the work which 
he came about ; and so he did before he went away ; Fa- 
ther, I have glorified thee on earth, I have finished the work 
which thou sentest me to do, John xvii. 4. If therefore we 
would be Christ's disciples, so as to follow him, we see 
what we must do, and how we must behave and carry our- 
selves whilst we are here below ; we must not spend our 
time, nor throw away our precious and short-lived days 
upon the trifles and impertinences of this transient world, 
as if we came hither for nothing else but to take and scrape 
up a little dust and dirt together, or to wallow ourselves 
like swine in the mire of carnal pleasures and delights. 
No, we may assure ourselves we have greater things to 
do, and far more noble designs to carry on whilst we con- 
tinue in this vale of tears, even to work out our salvation 
with fear and trembling, and to make our calling and elec- 
tion sure, and to serve God here, so ns to enjoy him for 
ever. This is the work we came about, and which we 
must not only do, but do it too with pleasure and delight, 
and never leave until we have accomplished it ; we must 



IMITATION OP CHRIST. $91 

make it our only pleasure to please God, account it our 
only honour to honour him, and esteem his love and fa- 
vour to be the only wealth and riches that we can enjoy ; 
we must think ourselves no farther happy, than we find 
ourselves to be truly holy, and therefore devote our lives 
wholly to him, in whom we live. This is to live as Christ 
lived, and by consequence as Christians ought to do. 

I might here instance in several other acts of piety and 
devotion, which our Saviour was not only eminent for, 
but continually exercised himself in, as his humble and 
perfect submission and resignation of his own will to God's, 
his most ardent love unto him, and zeal for him, as also 
his firm and steadfast trust and confidence in him ; so that 
nothing could ever disquiet or discompose his mind, but 
still his heart was fixed trusting in the Lord. In all 
which, it is both our duty and interest to follow him ; 
our happiness as well as holiness consisting in our depen- 
dance upon God, and inclinations to him. 

But we should do well to observe withal, that our Savi- 
our performed external as well as inward worship and de- 
votion unto God ; particularly we often find him praising 
God and praying unto him ; and that with his eyes lift up 
to heaven in a most humble and reverential posture, John 
xvii. 1. Luke xxii. 4. Matt. xxvi. 39 . yea, when he was to, 
choose and ordain some of his disciples to the work of the 
ministry, and to succeed him after his departure, under 
the name of apostles, he spent the night before in prayer 
to God, Luke vi. 12. I confess the words there used, en 
teproseuche tou Theou, will scarce admit of that interpreta- 
tion or exposition, signifying rather in a strict sense, that 
he went into a place appointed for prayer, which was usu- 
ally called proseuche, a place of prayer, which kind of 
places were very frequent in Judea, and some of them 
continued till Epiphamus' time, as himself asserts ; and 
they were only plots of ground inclosed with a wall, and 
open above, and were ordinarily, if not always, upon 
mountains, whither the Jews used to resort to pray tpge- 
ther in great multitudes. And this seems to be the proper 
meaning of these words, where our Saviour is said to go 
into a mountain, and to continue all night, en te proseuche 
tou Theou, in one of these Proseucha's of God, a place dedi- 
cated to his service. Yet howsoever we cannot suppose but 
that he went thither to do what the place whither he went 
was designed for, even to pray : and by consequence, that 
seeing he stayed there all night, questionless he spent the 

N 2 



292 THOUGHTS UPON THE 

t^hole night in prayer and meditation, in order to so great 
a work as the ordaining his apostles was. 

Here therefore is another copy which our master Christ 
hath set us to write after ; a lesson that all must learn and 
practise that would be his disciples. Though we ordinari- 
ly converse with nothing but dirt and clay, and with our 
fellow worms on earth, yet as Christ did, so should we of- 
ten retire from the tumults and bustles of the world to 
converse with him that made us ; both to praise him for 
the mercies we have received, and to pray unto him for 
what we want ; only we shall do well to have a care that 
we do not perform so solemn a duty as this is, after a care- 
less and perfunctory manner, because none sees but God ; 
for his seeing us is infinitely more than if all the world be- 
side should see us ; and we must still remember that pray- 
er is the greatest work that a creature can be engaged in, 
and therefore to be performed with the greatest serious- 
ness, reverence, and earnestness that possibly we can raise 
up our spirits to. And besides our daily devotions which 
we owe and ought to pay to God, whensoever we set upon 
any great and weighty business, we must be sure to fol- 
low our Saviour's steps in setting some time apart propor- 
tionably to the business we undertake, wherein to ask 
God's counsel, and desire his direction and blessing in the 
most serious and solemn manner that possibly we can. I 
need not tell the reader what benefit we shall derive by 
this means, none of us that shall try it, but will soon find 
it by experience. 

I shall observe only one thing more concerning our Sa- 
viour's devotion, and that is, that although he took all 
occasions to instruct and admonish his disciples and follow- 
ers, whether in the fields or upon the mountains, in pri- 
vate houses, even wheresoever he could find an opportu- 
nity to do it ; yet upon sabbath-days he always frequented 
the public worship of God ; he went into the synagogues, 
places appointed for public prayers, and reading and hear- 
ing the word, a thing which I fear many amongst us do 
not think of, or at least not rightly consider it ; for if they 
did, they would not dare methinks to walk so directly con- 
trary to our blessed Saviour in this particular ; for St. 
Luke tells us, that when he came to Nazareth, where he had 
been brought up, as his custom was, he went into the syna* 
gogue on the sabbath-day, Luke iv. 16. From whence none 
of us but may easily observe that our Saviour did not go 
into a synagogue or church by the bye, to see what they 



IMITATION OF CHRIST. 

were doing there, neither did he happen to go in by 
chance upon the sabbath-day, but it was his custom and 
constant practice to do so, even to go each sabbath-day to 
the public ordinances, there to join with the congrega- 
tion in performing their service and devotions to almighty 
God. 

And here I must take leave to say, that was there no 
other law, nor any other obligations upon us (as there be 
many) to frequent the public worship of God, this prac- 
tice and example of our blessed Saviour doth sufficiently 
and effectually oblige us all to a constant attendance upon 
the public ordinances. For as we are Christians, and pro* 
fess ourselves to be his disciples, we are all bound to fol- 
low him, he commands us here and elsewhere to do it ; 
and certainly there is nothing that we can be obliged to 
follow him in, more than in the manner of his worship- 
ping God. And therefore whosoever out of any humour, 
fancy, or slothfulness shall presume to neglect the public 
worship of God, he doth not but act contrary to Christ's 
example, but transgresses all his command, that enjoins 
him to follow that example. What they who are guilty of 
this will have to answer for themselves when they come to 
stand before Christ's tribunal, I know not. But this I 
know, that all those who profess themselves to be Chris- 
tians, should follow Christ in all things that they can, and 
by consequence in this particular ; and that they sin who 
do not. 

But in whatsoever other things we may fail, I know 
the generality of us do herein follow our Saviour's steps, 
that we are usually present at the public worship of God ; 
but then I hope this is net all that we follow him in, but 
that as we follow him to the public ordinances, so we do 
likewise in our private devotions, yea, and in our behavi- 
our both to God and man ; which that we may the better 
do, I have endeavoured to shew wherein we ought especi- 
ally to follow Christ, in being obedient to our parents, sub- 
ject to our governors, lowly to the lowest, loving and cha- 
ritable unto all ; as also in growing in wisdom and the 
knowledge of God, in contemning the world, in devoting 
ourselves wholly to the service of God, in resigning our 
wills to his, in loving of him, in trusting on him above 
all tilings else, in daily praying unto God, and frequent- 
ing his public ordinances ; to which I may also add, in de- 
nying ourselves, and taking up our crosses, which he him- 
self hath done before us, as well as required of us. 

N 3 



294 THOUGHTS UPON THE IMITATION OF CHRIST. 

What now remains, but that seeing the steps wherein 
our Saviour walked, we should all resolve to walk toge- 
ther in them. And 1 hope that I need not use arguments 
to persuade any to it ; it is enough, one would think, that 
Christ himself, whose name we bear, expects and com- 
mands it from us. And in that the sum of all religion con- 
sisteth in obeying and following Christ, the circumstances 
of whose life are recorded on purpose that we may imitate 
him unto the utmost of our power, not only in the matter 
but manner of our actions, even in the circumstances as 
well as in the substance of them. 

But this I dare say we all both know and believe, even 
that it is our duty to follow Christ ; and therefore it is a 
sad, a dismal thing to consider, that among them that 
know it there are so few that do it ; but even those that 
go under the name of Christians themselves > do more ge- 
nerally follow the beasts of the field, or the very fiends of 
hell, rather than Christ our Saviour. For all covetous 
worldlings that look no higher than earth, and all luxurious 
epicures that labour after no other but sensual pleasures, 
whom do they imitate but the beasts that perish ? And as 
for the proud and arrogant, the deceitful and malicious se- 
ducers of their brethren, and oppressors of their neigh- 
bours, all backbiters and false accusers, all deriders of re- 
ligion, and apostates from it, they are of their father the 
devil, and his works they will do. And if all such per- 
sons should be taken from amongst us, how few would be 
left behind that follow Christ ? Very few indeed ! but F 
hope there would be some. And oh, that all who read 
this would be in the number of them, even that the}; 
would all from this day forward resolve to come as near 
our blessed Saviour in all their actions both to God and 
man, as possibly they can ; which if we once did, what 
holy, what happy lives should we then lead ! How should 
we antedate both the work and joys of heaven ! And how 
certain should we be to be there ere long, where Christ 
that is the pattern of our lives here will be the portion of 
our scuis for ever ? 

Thus I have shewn what Christ requires of those who 
would be his disciples, enjoining them to deny themselves, 
take up their cross and follow him. And now I have done 
my duty in explaining these words, it is all my readers' as 
well as mine to practise them, which I heartily wish we 
would all resolve to do ; and I must say it highly con- 
cerns us all to do so, for we can never be saved but by 



THOUGHTS UPON OUR CALL AND ELECTION. 29 

Christ, nor by him, unless we be his disciples ; neither 
can we be his disciples, unless we do what is here required 
of us. And therefore, if we care not whether we be sav- 
ed or no, we may think no more of these things, nor trou- 
ble our heads about them ; but if we really desire to come 
to heaven, let us remember he who alone can bring us thi- 
ther, hath told us, that we must deny ourselves, and take 
up our cross , and follow him. 



^VW^^'^W^V^'V^ 



THOUGHTS UPON OUR CALL AND 
ELECTION. 

JUfANY are called, saith our Saviour, Matt. xxii. 14. but 
few chosen. O dreadful sentence, who is able to 
hear it without trembling and astonishment ! If he had 
said, that of all men that are bom in the world there are 
but few saved, this would not have struck such a fear and 
horiror into us ; for we might still hope that though Turks, 
Jews and Heathens, which are far the greatest part of the 
world, should all perish, yet we few in comparison of 
them, who are baptized, into his name, who profess his 
gospel, who enjoy his ordinances, who are admitted to his 
sacraments, that all who are called to him, might be cho- 
sen and saved by him ; but that of those very persons who 
are called, there are but few chosen : what a sharp and ter- 
rible sentence is this ? Who can bear it ? Especially consi- 
dering by whom it was pronounced, even by Christ him- 
self. If a mere man had spoken it, we might hope it was 
but a human error ; if an angel had uttered it, we might 
think it possible he might be mistaken ; but that Christ 
himself the eternal Son of God, who is truth, and infalli- 
bility itself, that he should assert it ; that he who laid 
down his life to redeem ours, that he who came into the 
world on purpose to call and save us, that he in whom 
alone it is possible for us to be chosen to salvation, that he 
should say, Many are callea but few chosen : this is an 
hard saying indeed, which may justly make our ears to 
tingle, and our hearts to tremble at the hearing of it. And 
yet we see our Saviour here expressly saith it, and not 
only here neither, but again, Matt. xx. 16. Whence we 
may gather, that it is a thing he would have us often think 
of, and a matter of more thanordinarv importance, in that 

N 4- 



296 THOUGHTS UPON OTTII 

he did not think it enough to tell us of it at once, but he 
repeated it in the same words again, that we might be 
sure to remember it, and take especial notice of it, that 
many are called but few chosen. 

In which words, that we may understand our Saviour's 
meaning aright, we must first consider the occasion of 
them in this place, which in brief was this. Our Saviour 
according to the custom that obtained in those days amongst 
the wise men of the east, delighting to use parables, there- 
by to represent his heavenly doctrine more clearly to the 
understanding of his hearers ; in this chapter compares the 
kingdom of God to a certain king that made a mania ge for 
his son, and sent his servants to call them that were hidden to 
the wedding, ver. 2, 3. Where, by the king, he means 
the eternal God, the universal monarch of the world, who 
intending to make a marriage betwixt his Son and the 
church, styled the spouse of Christ, he sent to his guests 
before bidden, even the Jews, the seed of Abraham his 
friend, and at that time his peculiar people. But they not 
hearkening to the first invitation, he sends to them again 5 
ver. 4. Yet they still made light cf it, having, it seems, 
as we most have, other business to mind, and therefore 
went their way, some to their farms, others to their mer- 
chandize, ver. 5. By which our Saviour intimates, that 
one great reason why men accept not of the overtures of 
grace made, unto them in the gospel, is, because their 
minds are taken up with the cares of this world, looking 
upon their farms, their trades and merchandize, as things 
of greater moment than heaven and eternal glory. Yea, 
some of them took the servants which were sent to invite 
them, and treated them spitefully, and slew them, ver. 6, 
Why, what is the matter ? What injury have the servants, 
the prophets, the apostles, or ministers of Christ done 
them ? What, do they come to oppress them ? to take their 
estates from them ? To disgrace or bring them into bon- 
dage ? No, they only come to invite them to a marriage- 
feast, to tender them the highest comforts and refresh- 
ments imaginable both for their souls and bodies. And 
this is all the recompense they give them for their kind- 
ness, not only to refuse it, but to abuse them that bring 
it? Well might this glorious "ki I incensed 

at such an affront offered him as this was, and therefore, 
he sent forth I. s and destroyed those murderers, and 

burnt up their city, ver. ?• as we all know he did to the 
murdering Jews, who soon after this were destroyed, and 



CALL AND ELECTION. 297 

their royal city Jerusalem burnt. But now the feast is pre- 
pared, shall there be none to eat it ? Yes, for seeing they 
who were first bidden were not worthy to partake of his 
dainties, he orders his servants to go into the high-ways, 
and bid as many as they could find to the marriage, ver. 

. 6, 9. The Jews having refused the gospel, God sends to 
invite the Gentiles to it, who hitherto had been reckoned 
aliens to the commonwealth of Israel, strangers to the co- 
venant of promise, having no hope, and without God in the 
world, Eph. ii. 12. But now they are also bidden to the 
wedding, they are called to Christ, and invited to partake 
of all the privileges of the gospel. For the servants having 
received the command, went out into the high-way, even 
into all the by-places and corners of the world, and gather- 
ed together as many as they found, both bad \ and good, , and 
the ?vedding was furnished with guests, ver. 10. But 
amongst these too, when the king came to see his guests, 
he saw one that had not on a wedding-garment, ver. 1 1. 
Under which one are represented all of the same kind, 
who have not on the wedding-garment, that is, who walk 
not worthy of the vocation wherewith they are called, not 
being clothed with humility, faith, and other graces suit- 
able to a Christian. All which, notwithstanding they 
were invited, yea and come in too upon their invitation, 
yet they are cast out again into outer darkness, Matt. xx. 
12, 13. And then he adds, for many arc called, but few 
chosen ; as if he should have said, the Jews were called, 
but would not come ; the Gentiles are called, they come, 
but some of them were cast out again ; so that of the 
many which are called, there are but few. chosen. For 
many are called, but few chosen. 

Which short, but pithy saying of our blessed Saviour, 
that we may rightly understand, we shall first consider the 
former part of it, Many are called, and then the latter, but 

few chosen. That we may apprehend the full meaning of 
the first part of this proposition, Many are called, there are 
three things to be considered ; 

I. What is here meant by being called. 

II. How men are called. 

III. How it appears that many are called. 

I. As for the first, what we are here to understand by 

being called. We must know that this is meant only of 

God's voice to mankind, making known his will and plea-* 

sure to them, calling' upon them to act accordingly, and 

N 5 



2{)8 THOUGHTS UPON OUR 

so inviting them to his service here, and to the enjoyment 
of his presence hereafter. 

But to explain the nature of it more particularly, we 
must consider the terminus a quo, and the terminus ad quod, 
what it is God calls its from, and what it is he calls us to, both 
which we shall speak to, jointly or together. 

1. He calls us from darkness to light, from error and 
ignorance to truth and knowledge. As he made us ra- 
tional and knowing creatures at first, so he would have us 
to be again, so as to understand and know him that made 
us, and that gave us the power of understanding and know- 
ing ; and not employ the little knowledge we have only 
about the affairs of our bodies, our trades, and callings in 
this world, nor yet in learning arts and sciences only, but 
principally about the concerns of our immortal souls, that 
we may know him that is the true God, and Jesus Christ 
whom he hath sent ; without which, all our other, know- 
ledge will avail us nothing. We are still in the dark, and 
know not whither we are going ; out of which dark, and 
by consequence uncomfortable as well as dangerous estate, 
God of his infinite mercy is pleased to call us, that we 
should shew forth the praises of him who hath called us out of 
darkness into this marvellous light, 1 Pet. ii. Q. 

2. God calls us from superstition and idolatry, to serve 
and worship him. For we are called to turn from idols 
to serve the living and true God, 1 Thes. i. 9. Thus he call- 
ed Abraham out of Chaldea, and his posterity the Israelites 
out of Egypt, places of idolatry, that they might serve 
and worship him, and him alone. Thus he called our an- 
cestors of this nation out of their heathenish superstitions 
to the knowledge and worship of himself, and of his Son 
Jesus Christ our Lord. And thus he called upon us to 
fee from idolatry, 1 Cor, x. 14. not only from heathenish 

or popish, but from all idolatry whatsoever, and by conse- 
quence from covetousness, which God himself tells us in 
plain terms is idolatry, Col. iii. 5. And so indeed is our 
allowing ourselves in any known sin whatsoever ; for we 
idolize it by setting it up in our hearts and affections, in- 
stead of God ; yea, and bow down to it, and serve it, 
though not in our bodies, yet in our souls, which is the 
highest kind of idolatry, which God calls us from. 

3. Hence he also calls from all manner of sin and pro- 
faneness, to holiness and piety, both in our affections and 
actions. For, as the apostle saith, God hath not called us to 
uncleanncss but to holiness, 1 Thes. iv. 7« Where by un- 



CALL AND ELECTION. 299 

cleanness he means all manner of lusts and corruptions 
which defile the soul, and make it unclean and impure in 
the sight of God. These God doth not call us to, but 
from : it is holiness and universal righteousness that he 
calls us to, and commands us to follow. This is the great 
thing that Christ in his gospel calls for : For the grace of 
God, which is in his gospel, hath now appeared to all men, 
teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we 
should Uvc soberly, righteously, and godly in this present evil 
world, Titus ii. 11, 12. He now eommandcth all men every 
where to repent and turn to God, Acts xxvii. SO. Hence 
he is said to have called us with an holy calling, 2 Tim. i. Q. 
And as he who hath called us is holy, so ought we to be holy 
in all manner of conversation, 1 Pet. i. 15. Thus therefore 
we are called to be an holy people, a people zealous of 
good works, a people wholly devoted to the service of the 
living God. In brief we are called to be saints, a people 
consecrated unto God ; and therefore as every vessel in 
the temple was holy, so we being called to be the temples 
of the Holy Ghost, every thing in us should be holy : our 
thoughts should be holy, our affections holy, our words 
holy, our desires holy, every faculty of our souls, every 
member of our bodies, and every action of our lives, should 
be holy, every thing within us, every thing about us, every 
thing that comes from us should be holy, and all because 
our calling is holy ; and we ought to walk worthy of our 
vocation wherewith we are called, Eph. iv. 1. 

4. God calls us from carnal and temporal things^ to mind 
heaven and eternal glory. He sees and observes how ea- 
ger we are in prosecuting of this world's vanities, and 
therefore calls upon us to leave doting upon such transi- 
tory and unsatisfying trifles, and to mind the tilings that 
belong to our everlasting peace ; not to be conformed to 
this world, but transformed by the renewing of our minds, 
that we may prove what is that good, that acceptable and 
perfect will of God, Rom. xii. 2. To set our affections upon 
things above, and not upon things thai are upon the earth, 
Col. iii. 2. To seek the kingdom o/' God and his righteousness 
in the first place, Matt. vi. 33. Hence it is styled an hca* 
venty catting, Heb. iii. 1. and an high calling, Phil. iii. 14. 
because we are called by it to look after high and heavenly 
things. He that made us hath so much kindness for us, 
that it pities him to see us moil and toil, and spend our 
strength and labour about Such low and pitiful, such im- 
pertinent and unnecessary things, which himself knows, 

N 6 



300 THOUGHTS UPON OCR 

can never satisfy us ; and therefore he calls and invites us 
to himself, and to the enjoyment of his own perfections, 
which are able to fill and satiate our immortal souls. 

5. Hence lastly, we are called from misery and danger, 
to the state of happiness and felicity. As he called Lot out 
of Sodom, when fire and brimstone were ready to fall 
upon it ; so he calls us from the world and sin, because 
otherwise wrath and fury will fall upon our heads. Or, as 
he called Noah into the ark, to preserve him from the 
overflowing flood ; so he called us into his service, and to 
the faith of his Son, that so we may escape that flood of 
misery which will suddenly drown the impenitent and un- 
believing world. And therefore we must not think that 
he calls and invites to him, because he stands in need of 
us, or wants our service ; no, it is not because he cannot 
be happy without us, but because we cannot be hap- 
py without him, nor in him neither, unless we come 
unto him. This is the only reason why he calls us so 
earnestly to him : Far as I live, with the Lord, I have no 
pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn 
from his way ami live: turn ye, turn ye, for why will ye 
die, O house of Israel! Ezek. xxxiii. 11. Let us not stand 
therefore pausing upon it, and considering whether we 
shall hearken to God's call or no, nor say severally with- 
in ourselves, how shall I part with my profits ? How shall 
I deny myself the enjoyment of my sensual pleasures ? 
How shall I forsake my darling and beloved sins ? But ra- 
ther say, how shall I abide the judgment of the great 
God ? How shall I escape if I neglect so great salvation as 
I am now called and invited to ? For we may assure our- 
selves this is the great and only end why God calls so pa- 
thetically upon us to come unto him, that so we may be 
delivered from his wrath, and enjoy his love and favour 
for ever. 

Thus we see what it is that God calls mankind both 
from and to ; he calls them from darkness to light, from 
idolatry to true religion, from sin to holiness, from earth 
to heaven, and from the deepest misery, to the highest 
happiness that they are capable of. 

II. The next thing to be considered is, how God is 
pleased to call us ; for which we must know, that, 

1. He that vouchsafetfa to call some m ith his own mouth, 
as I may so speak, even by immediate revelations from 
himself. Thus he called Abraham and Moses, and seve- 
ral of the patriarchs of the Old Testament. And thus he 
called Paul, Christ himself calling from heaven to him, 



CALL AND ELECTION. SOI 

Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me ? Acts ix. 4. And it 
is observable, that whosoever were thus called, they al- 
ways obeyed. But this is not the calling here spoken of. - 

2. God calls all mankind by his works and providences. 
All the creatures in the world are so many tongues declar- 
ing the wisdom, power, goodness, and glory of God, 
unto us, and so call upon us to praise, honour, and obey 
him. And all his providences have their several and dis- 
tinct voices : his mercies bespeak our affections, and his 
judgments our fear. Hear ye, saith he, the rod, and who 
hath appointed it, Micah vi. 9. The rod, it seems, hath 
a voice which we are bound to hear. But though many, 
yea all the world be called this way, yet neither is this the 
calling our Saviour means, when he saith, 'many are called, 
but Jew chosen. 

3. Lastly, Therefore God hath called many by the mi- 
nistry of his word, and of his servants the prophets, the 
apostles and their successors declaring it, and explaining it 
to them. Thus God spake to our fathers by the prophets, 
rising up early, and sending them to call sinners to re- 
pentance, by shewing them their sins, and the dangerous 
consequents of them. As when he sent his prophet Isaiah 
he bids him cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice as a trum- 
jjet,' and shew my people their transgressions, and the house 
of Jacob their sins, Isa. lviii. 1. And they being convinc- 
ed of, and humbled for their sins, then he sent his pro- 
phets to invite them to accept of grace and pardon from 
him, saying, in the language of the same prophet, Ho, 
every one that thirsieih, come ye to the waters, and he that 
hath no money, come ye, buy and eat ; come, buy wine and 
milk without money and without price, Isa. lv. 1, 2, 3, And 
God having thus at sundry times, and in divers manners, 
spoken in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in 
these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath ap- 
pointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds, 
Heb. i. 1, 2. . Who therefore said with his own mouth, 
that He came not to call the righteous but shiners to repent- 
ance, Matt. ix. 13. Hence as soon as ever he entered upon 
his ministry, he called to mankind, saying, Repent, and 
believe the gospel, Mark i. 15. And come unto me all ye 
that labour and are heavy laden, Matt. xi. 28. And when 
he was to depart hence, he left orders with his apostles, 
to go and call all nations, and teach them what he had 
commanded, promising that himself would be with them 
to the end of the world, Matt, xxviii. 1J>, 20. By virtue 



S02 THOUGHTS UPON OUft 

therefore of this commission, not only the apostles them- 
selves, but all succeeding ministers in all ages to the end 
of the world, are sent to call mankind to embrace the gos- 
pel, and to accept of the terms propounded in it. So that 
when we his ministers preach unto them, or call upon 
them to repent and turn to God, they must not think we 
come in our own name ; for, as the apostle tells the Co- 
rinthians, we are the ambassadors for Christ, as though God 
did beseech you by us ; we fray you in Christ's stead, be ye 
reconciled to God, 2 Cor. v. 20. Hence in scripture we are 
called also kerukes, heralds, and our office is kerussein, to 
proclaim as heralds, the will and pleasure of almighty God 
unto mankind, to offer peace and pardon to all that have 
rebelled against our Lord and master the King of heaven, 
if they will now come in, and submit themselves unto 
him ; if not, in a most solemn and dreadful manner, to 
denounce his wrath and heavy displeasure against them. 
So that as the angel was sent to call Lot out of Sodom, 
when the Lord was going to rain fire and brimstone from 
heaven upon it : so God being ready every moment to 
shower down his fury and vengeance upon the impeni- 
tent and unbelieving world, he sends us to call men out of 
it, to open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, 
from the power of Satan unto God, Acts xxvi. IS. and to 
invite them to his court, to live with him, and be happy 
for ever. 

And that this is the proper meaning of our blessed Savi- 
our in this place, where he saith, many are called, is plain 
from the parable whereon these words are grounded ; 
where the king is said to have sent his servants to call the 
guests which were bidden to the marriage feast, and put 
words into their mouths, telling them what to say, ver. 4. 
as he hath given us also instructions, how to call and in- 
vite mankind in his holy word. And when of the many 
which were called, there would but few come ; hence our 
Saviour uttered this expression, that many are called, but 
few chosen. From whence it is clear and obvious, that our 
Saviour means not such as were called immediately from 
God himself, for they were but few ; nor yet such as are 
called by the works of creation and providence, for so not 
many only, but all are called ; but he means such as are 
called by his word, and by his servants and ministers read- 
ing, preaching, and explaining of it. 

III. And verily that many have been, and still are call- 
ed in this sense, which is the next thing I promised to 



CALL AND ELECTION. 303 

shew, I need not stand long to prove. For our Saviour, 
having commanded his apostles to go and call all nations 
to his faith, which is the proper meaning of that place, 
Matt, xxviii. 19. it cannot be denied, but that the apostles 
presently dispersed themselves, and preached the gospel 
to all nations ; which they did so effectually., that in few 
years after, even in St. Paul's time, The mystery of the gos- 
pel was madehiown to all nations for the obedience of faith, 
Rom. xvi. 26. And in St. John's time, some were redeem- 
ed out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation, 
Rev. vii. 9- Yea, so mightily grew the word of God and 
prevailed, that the ancients compared it to lightning, that 
immediately dispersed itself, and was seen all the world 
over. So that in less than two hundred years, ah ortu solis 
ad occasion lex Christiana .suscepta est, The Christian reli- 
gion was received all the world over, from east to west,, as 
Lactantius, who then lived, asserts. From which time 
therefore, how many thousands of millions of souls have 
been called to the faith of Christ by the preaching of his 
gospel ? And not to speak of other nations, how soon did 
the Sun of righteousness rise upon these western parts of 
the world, and particularly upon this nation, wherein we 
dwell ; several of Christ's own disciples and apostles, as 
Simon Peter, Simon Zelotes, James the son of Zebedee, 
Joseph of Arimathea, Aristobulus, and St. Paul himself, 
being all recorded by ecclesiastical writers, to have preach- 
ed the gospel to this nation. Be sure in less than two hun- 
dred years the Christian faith was here received. Tertullian 
himself saying expressly, Britannorum inaccessa Romanis 
loca, Christo subdita : The Romans could scarcely come at 
Brittany, but Christ hath conquered it. And soon after 
him, Arnobius saith that the gospel Nee ipsos Lidos latuis 
a parte orientis, nee ipsos Britannos, a parte Occidentis, 
Was not concealed either from the Indians in the Eastern 
parts of the world, nor from the Britons themselves hi the 
West. And since the gospel was first here planted, how 
many have been called by it to the faith of Christ ? Yea, 
through the mercy of the most high God, how many at 
this moment are called all the nation over ? And to come 
still closer to ourselves, all that read this, have, I doubt 
not, been often called heretofore, and now are called 
again. For in the name of the most high God, and of his 
Son Christ, I pray and beseech you all, as strangers and pil- 
grims, to abstain from fleshly lusts which war against tlte 
soul, 1 Pet. ii. 11. to repent of your sins, and believe the. 



504 THOUGHTS UPON OUR 

gospel. I call and invite you also to accept the offers of 
grace and pardon which are made you in Jesus Christ, to 
sit down with him at his own table, and feed by faith upon 
his body and blood, that so you may partake of the merits 
of his death ancTpassion, and so live with him for ever- 
more. Thus you are all called, but I fear there are but 
few chosen. 

Having thus explained and proved the first part of this 
proposition, that many are called, we must now consider 
the meaning, truth, and reasons of the other part of it, 
but few are chosen. Folloi gareisi kletoi ; holigoi tie eklehtoi. 
For many are called, but few chosen ; that is, there are but 
few which are so approved of by God, as to be elected and 
chosen from the other part of the world, to inherit eternal 
life. That this is the main drift and scope of our blessed 
Saviour in these words, is plain from the foregoing para- 
ble, which gave him occasion to pronounce them : for 
there all that were first called refused to come to the mar- 
riage-feast which they were invited to, and of them which 
came, some had not on their wedding-garment ; that is, 
although they came in to the outward profession of the 
gospel, yet did not w r alk worthy of the vocation where- 
with they were called, and therefore they likewise were 
excluded ; upon wfrich our Saviour adds these words, 
Far many are called, but fe?v chosen. From whence it is 
easy to observe his meaning in general to be only this, that 
although, many were called to partake of the privileges and 
graces of his gospel, yet seeing of those who were called, 
many would not come at all, and of those who come, 
many do not come so as the gospel requires of them, with 
their wedding-garment on ; hence of the many who are 
called, there are but few chosen to partake of the marriage- 
feast, that is, of the glorious promises made in the gospel, 
to those that come aright unto it. Few, not absolutely in 
themselves considered, but few comparatively in respect 
of the many which are not chosen ; or rather few in com- 
parison of the many which are called. For if we consider 
them absolutely in themselves, they are certainly very 
many, our Saviour himself saith, Many shall come from 
the east and nest, and s!k<I; .si! down with Abraham, ike. 
Matt. viii. 11. And in the Revelations 3011 read of many 
thousands that were scaled c-' every tribe. Yea, there was 
a great multitude which no nian could number if all nations, 
and kindreds, and people, and tongues si ood before the throne, 
and before the Lamb, clothed with while, and palms 4n their 



CALL AND ELECTION. 805 

hands, Rev. vii. 9- Insomuch that &r all the numberless 
number of fallen or apostatized angels, St. Austin was of 
opinion, that there will be as many-men saved, as there 
are angels damned, or rather more. For saith he, upon 
the fall of angels and men, he determined to gather toge- 
ther, by his infinite grace, so many out of the mortal pro- 
geny, v.t hide suppleat et instaurei partem quce lapsa est an- 
gelorum, that he might from thence make up and restore that 
part of angels which was* fallen ; ac sic ilia dilecia et super a 
civitas non fraud eiur suorum mtmero civium f qidneiiam for- 
tassis et uberiore httetur. And so thai beloved city which is 
above, may not be deprived of the number of its citizens, but 
perhaps rejoice in having more. Aug. de Civ. Dei, 1. 22. 
c. 1. Which notion he grounds upon those words of our 
Saviour in this chapter, For in the resurrection they neither 
marry nor are given in marriage y but are isangeloi, as the 
angels of God in heaven, Matt. xxii. SO, or, as the words 
may be interpreted, they are equal to the angels, and equal 
in number to the fallen, as well as in quality .to the elect 
angels, as that learned and pious father expounds it. But 
howsoever that be, this is certain, that the number of men 
chosen and saved will be very great, considered absolute- 
ly in themselves ; and yet notwithstanding, if they be 
compared with the many more which are called, they are 
but very few. Christ's flock is, as himself styles it, mikror* 
poimnion, a very little, little flock, Luke xii. 32. that is, 
iii comparison of the vast multitudes of souls that flock af- 
ter the world and sin. As in a garden there are but few 
choice flowers m comparison of the weeds that grow in it, 
there are but very few diamonds and precious stones in 
comparison of pebbles and gravel upon the sea- shore ; in 
the richest mines there is far more dross than gold and sil- 
ver. So is it in the church of Christ ; there is but little 
wheat, in comparison of the t£res that come up with it ; 
Christ hath a great many hangers-on, but few faithful and 
obedient servants ; there are many that speak him very 
fair, and make a very plausible profession of "the faith and 
religion which he taught, but where shall we find one that 
practiseth it ? If there be here one, and there another, 
two or three in a parish, or perhaps in a wl)ole city, what 
is this to the innumerable company of such as are called by 
him, and baptized into his name, and yet leave him to 
follow after the world and vanity ? Oh, what just ground 
had our Saviour to say, Many are called, but few chosen ? 
But to demonstrate the truth of this proposition still 



306 THOUGHTS. UPON OUR 

more fully, and as clearly as possibly I can, I must first 
lay down one principle as a Postulatum, which I suppose 
all will acknowledge to be true, and that is this, that 
whatsoever profession a man makes of the Christian reli- 
gion, it will avail him nothing without the practice of it ; 
or if you will take it in our Saviour's own words, Not every 
one, saith he, that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter 
into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doth the will of my 
Father which is in heaven, Matt. vii. 21. Or, as the apos- 
tle expresseth it, For not the hearers of the law are just be- 
fore God, but the doers of the law shall be justified, Rom. 
ii. 13. That is, it is not our hearing and knowing our 
duty that will stand us in any stead before God, but our 
doing of it ; it is not our believing that we may be saved by 
believing in Christ, whereby we can be saved, without 
actual believing in him, without such a faith whereby we 
depend upon him, for the pardon and salvation of our im- 
mortal souls, and consequently for the assistance of his 
grace and Spirit, whereby we may be enabled to obey his 
gospel, and to perform all such things as himself hath told 
us are necessary in order to our everlasting happiness ; and 
whatsoever faith we pretend to, unless it comes to this, 
that it puts us upon universal obedience to all the com- 
mands of God, we may conclude it will do us no good, for 
it is not such a faith as Christ requires, which always 
works by love, conquers the world, subdues sin, purifies 
the heart, and sanctifies the whole soul wheresoever it 
comes. It is such a faith as this which is the wedding- 
garment, without which no man is chosen or admitted to 
partake of those celestial banquets, which Christ our Sa- 
viour hath provided for us. And therefore no man can 
have any ground at all to believe or hope himself to be 
elected or chosen to eternal salvation, that is not holy in 
all manner of conversation ; God himself having told us 
expressly, that without holiness no man shall see the Lord, 
Heb. xii. 14. So that having God's own word for it, we 
may positively and confidently assert, that no man in the 
world can upon any just grounds be reputed as chosen by 
God, that doth not in all things, to the utmost of his pow- 
er, conform himself, and adjust his actions to the laws 
and commands of God. So that how many soever are call- 
ed, how many soever come into the outward profession of 
the Christian religion, yet none of them can be said to be 
chosen, but such as are real and true saints. And how 
few those are, is a matter which we have more cause to 



CALL AND ELECTION. 307 

bewail than to prove. Howsoever, that we may see that 
we have but too much reason to believe this assertion, of 
our blessed Saviour, that many are called but few chosen, 
I desire we may but consider the state of Christendom in 
general, and weigh the lives and actions of all such as pro- 
fess to believe in Christ, view them well, and examine them 
by the gospel rules, and then we shall soon conclude that 
there are but few chosen ; or to bring it home more close- 
ly to ourselves, who are all called, and take out from 
amongst us all such persons as come not up to the terms 
of the gospel, and we shall find that there are but few be- 
hind, but few indeed who can be discerned and judged by 
the light either of reason or scripture, be chosen by God 
to eternal life. For take out from amongst us, 

1. All atheistical persons, who though they are baptiz- 
ed into the name of Christ, and so are called to the faith 
of Christ, yet neither believe in Christ nor God, such fools 
as say in their heart there is no God, Psal. xiv. 1. For all 
will grant, that they are not chosen by God, who do not 
so much as believe that there is any God to choose them. 
Neither can it be imagined that the ail- wise God should 
choose such fools as these to be with him, who will- not so 
much as acknowledge him to be. And yet how many 
such fools have we amongst us, whose practices have sq 
depraved their principles, that they will not believe there 
is any God, because they wish there was none ? And 
when these are taken from amongst the called, I fear the 
number of the chosen amongst them will be much lessened. 

2. Take out from amongst us all ignorant persons, that 
understand not the common principles of religion, or the 
fundamental articles of that faith w T hieh they are called to : 
for that these are not chosen, is plain, in that though they 
be called by Christ, yet they know not what he would 
have them do, nor yet who it is that calls them. And 
therefore a3 God would have all men to be saved, so for 
that end he would have them come to the knowledge of 
the truth, 1 Tim. ii. 4. That is, he would have them 
know all such truths as himself hath revealed to them in 
the gospel, as necessary to be known in order to their 
eternal salvation, without which knowledge it is impossi- 
ble for a man to perform what is required of him ; for 
though a man may know his duty, and not do it, no man 
can do his duty unless he first know it. And therefore 
gross ignorance and saving faith cannot possibly consist or 
stand together : for saving faith is always joined with, or 
puts a man upon sincere obedience to all the commands 



308 THOUGHTS UPON OUR 

of God : but how can any man obey the commands of 
God, who neither knows that God whose commands they 
are,, nor yet what these commands are, which God will 
have him to obey ? No certainly, a blind man may as 
well follow his temporal calling, how intricate soever it 
be, as he that is grossly ignorant, the high calling of a 
Christian ; for he is altogether incapable of it, and so not 
only unworthy, but unfit to be chosen to it. Hence God 
himself hath lold us, that he is so far from choosing such 
as live and die in this manner without understanding, that 
he will never shew them any mercy or favour. For it is 
a people, saith he, of no understanding, therefore he that 
made them will not have mercy on them, and he that formed 
them will shew them no favour, Isa. xxvii. 11. Neither doth 
he ever blame mankind for any thing in the world more 
than for not knowing, and therefore not considering him 
that made and feeds them, Isa. i. 2, 3. Hos. iv. 1. And 
that we may be still farther assured that he chooseth no 
such persons to dwell with him, as do not know him and 
his commands, he hath given it us under his hand, that 
he rejects them, saying, My people are destroyed for lack of 
knowledge, because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also 
reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me : seeing thou 
hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy chil- 
dren, Hos. iv. 6. 

That therefore no persons that are grossly ignorant, and 
live and die in that condition, are chosen to eternal salva- 
tion, I suppose, the premises considered, ail will acknow- 
ledge. But alas ! how many such persons are there in the 
world, how many amongst ourselves ? How many who 
are very cunning and expert in the management of any 
worldly business, but are mere novices, or rather idiots in 
matters of true religion : or, as the prophet words it, Who 
are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge ? 
Jer. iv. 22. How many such ignorant and sottish people 
are there in every corner of the land ? and in this city it- 
self ! where they dp or may hear the word of God read 
and expounded to them every day, and yet ask them se- 
riously of the grounds of the Christian religion, and the 
reason of the hope that is in them, and they are no more 
able to give a satisfactory or rational answer, than if they 
had never heard of any such book as the Bible in the 
world, or had been born and bred in the remotest corners 
of America, where the sound of the gospel never yet 
came. But all such, how many soever they be, though 



CALL AND ELECTroX. SOQ 

they be called, they must stand aloof off; for so long as 
they are such, we may be confident they are not chosen. 
Insomuch, that should we take away no other from the 
number of the called,, but only such as know not what 
they are called to, it would appear but too clearly to be 
true, that of the many which are called, there are but few 
chosen. 

3. Take out from amongst us all vicious, profane, de- 
bauched and impenitent persons, all that make a mock of 
sin and -that jeer at holiness, that live as without God in 
the world, as if they had neither God to serve, nor souls to 
save • as if there was neither a hell to avoid nor a heaven 
to enjoy, and therefore make it their business to gratify 
their flesh, and to indulge their appetite with carnal and 
sensual pleasures, looking no higher than to be fellow- 
sharers with the brutes that perish ; such as in their be- 
witching cups stick not to fly in the face of heaven itself, 
and dare challenge God himself to damn them ; and make 
lying their usual dialect, and swearing their pleasing rhe- 
toric ; and are so far from being troubled for their sins, 
that they take pleasure and delight in them ; so far from 
being ashamed of them, that they make them their pride 
and glory, and so make it their pleasure to displease God, 
and their highest honour to dishonour him that is honour 
and perfection itself. For that no such persons as these 
who live and die in such notorious crimes upon earth, are 
chosen to live M r ith God in heaven, none can deny that 
believes the scriptures to be true, which in plain terms as- 
sure us of the contrary. Know ye not, saith the apostle, 
that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God ? 
Be not deceived, neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adul- 
terers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with man* 
kind; nor thieves, nor covetous, nor dru?ikards,nor rcvilers, 
. ?ioi* extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God, 1 Cor. vi, 
9, 10. And St. John tells us, that only they who do the 
commandments enter into the city of heaven ; But with* 
out are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and mur- 
derers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie, 
Rev. xxii. 1 1, 15. So that all such persons without timely 
repentance, are most certainly excluded from the number 
of the chosen. And how many are there amongst us, who 
allow themselves in some such sin or other ; or rather 
where shall we find a man that doth not ? But to all per- 
sons that continue in such sin, I may say, stand you by, 
you have no ground as yet to think that you are chosen, 



310 THOUGHTS UPON OUR 

but have rather all the reason in the world to believe, that 
you go on in such a sinful course, you will never know 
what heaven or happiness is. But when all such are 
taken out of the number of the called, what a piteous 
scantling will be left behind ! In plain terms, we have 
just cause to fear that ignorant and dissolute persons 
make up the greatest part of those who are called Chris- 
tians. 

4. Take out from amongst us all hypocritical and false- 
hearted persons, that seem indeed to be honest and good 
men, but still retain some secret sin or other, which will 
as certainly keep them out of heaven, as the most notori- 
ous and scandalous crime that is ; such as our Saviour 
compares to whited sepulchres, which outwardly appear 
very beautiful, but are within full of dead mens bones, and 
of all uncleanness, Matt, xxiii. 27- Such whose outward 
conversation is altogether unblameable ; so that no man 
can charge them with theft, perjury, drunkenness, un- 
cleanness, and the like ; but in the mean while, they are 
malicious, uncharitable, censorious, proud, self-conceit- 
ed, disobedient to parents or magistrates, covetous, am- 
bitious, and the like. And so though they be free from 
those sins, which others are guilty of, yet they are guilty 
of as bad sins, which the others may be freed from. To 
which also may be added all such as make indeed a great- 
er shew of piety, and seem mighty zealous for the little 
circumstances of religion, but neglect the weightier mat- 
ters of the law, the love of God, mercy, justice, and the 
like. But for all the vain hopes and high conceits that 
such persons may have of themselves, they are far from 
being such as the gospel requires of them, and by conse- 
quence from the number of the chosen here spoken of. 
For the Pharisees were such persons as these, and yet our 
Saviour himself tells us, That except our righteousness ex- 
ceed the righteousness of the Scribes and. Pharisees, we shall 
in no ways enter into the kingdom of God, Matt. vi. 20. 
And when he tells us elsewhere, That except we repent we 
must all likewise perish, Luke xiii. 3. his meaning is, not 
that we must repent of some, or many, or most, but of 
all our sins, and so repent of them as to turn from them ; 
and so turn from all sin, as for the future to be holy in 
all manner of conversation, otherwise our Saviour himself 
assures us that he will never save us, but we must perish 
without remedy. 

Let any man consider this, and then tell me what he 



CALL AND ELECTION. oil 

thinks of the number of the chosen, whether it be not 
very small indeed, in comparison of the many which are 
called. For not to speak of other parts of Christendom, 
all the people of this nation are called, are called to the 
faith of Christ ; and how many they are, I cannot say we 
all know, for it is past any man's knowledge. But where 
is the man amongst us all, that doth not harbour some se- 
cret lust or other in his bosom : yea, of the many men in 
this nation, where is he that can say with David, / have 
kept myself from mine iniquity ? Or, to use the words of the 
prophet, Run ye to and fro through the streets of the city, 
and see now and know, and seek if ye can find a man, if 
there be any that exccutcth judgment, that seeketh the truth, 
that serveth the Lord with a perfect heart and a willing mind, 
I do not deny, but there are a great many professors of re- 
ligion amongst us, who would fain be accounted more 
strict andjiolv than their neighbours are, so as to be reck- 
oned the religious ; as the friars and nuns are in the church 
of Rome : but are they therefore to be esteemed the elect 
and chosen of God, because they fancy themselves to be 
so ? Or rather is not their pride and self-conceitedness an 
argument that they are not so ? Blessed be God for it, I 
have no spleen nor rancour against any of them, but 
heartily wish they were as truly good and holy as they 
would seem to be. But what ? Is not pride a sin ? Is not 
self-conceitedness a sin ? Is not irreverence in God's wor- 
ship a sin ? Is not disobedience to magistrates a sin ? Is 
not uncharitableness or censoriousness a sin ? Certainly all 
these will be found to be sins another day. And therefore 
whatsoever pretences men may make unto religion, if they 
allow themselves in such sins as these, they are as far from 
being in the number of the chosen, as the most dissolute 
and scandalous persons in the world : but when these two 
are removed from the called, how few of them will appear 
to be chosen ? 

5. Yet once again. Take out all such as believe not in 
our Lord Jesus Christ, but being morally honest and faith- 
ful in performing their duty to God and man, trust more 
in their own good works than to his merit and mediation. 
For that all such are to be excluded, is plain from the 
whole tenor of the gospel, which assures us, that there is 
no salvation to be had but only by Jesus Christ ; nor by 
him neither, but only by believing in him. But if Christ 
should come this day to judgment, would he find faith 
upon earth ? Verily, I fear, he would find but very little, 



315 THOUGHTS UPON OUR 

if any at all amongst us: he might, I believe, find some 
pretty strict and circumspect in obeying of his other laws, 
or at least in endeavouring to do so. But for a man to do 
all that is required of him, and yet to count himself an un- 
profitable servant : for a man to do all he can. and yet rest 
upon nothing that he hath done, but to depend wholly 
upon another, even upon Jesus Christ for life and happi- 
ness ; this is hard indeed to flesh and bleed, and as rare to 
find as it is to find a rose among the weeds and thistles of 
a barren wilderness, or a diamond amongst the gravel 
upon the sea-shore, here and there I believ e there may be 
found one, but so rare!}*, that they can scarce be termed 
any, be sure but very few in comparison of the many who 
are called. 

Now, let us put these things together, and we shall 
easily grant that this saying of our Saviour was but too 
true, that many are called, but few chosen. An^ to bring 
it closer to ourselves, we are all called to repent, and be- 
lieve the gospel : now take out from amongst us all igno- 
rant persons that have heard indeed, but understand not 
what they hear ; all atheistical persons, that believe not 
really there is a God to judge them : all debauched sinners 
that live in open and notorious crimes ; all pharisaical hy- 
pocrites that avoid open, but indulge themselves in secret 
sins, that have the form but not the power of godliness ; and 
all such who are as St. Paul was before his conversion, as 
touching the righteousness of the law blameless, but yet be« 
lieve not in Jesus Christ. Take out, I say, all such per- 
sons as I have named from amongst us, and what a small 
number proportionably should we have left behind ? how 
many would be excluded the presence of God ? how few 
would continue in it ! What cause should we then have 
to say with our Saviour, that many are called, but fern 
chosen. 

Having thus explained the meaning, and confirmed the 
truth of this proposition, that many are called, but few 
chosen, we must consider the reasons of it, how it comes 
to pass that of the many which are called there are but few 
chosen : a thing which I confess we have all just cause to 
wonder and admire at : Are not all men rational creatures ? 
Are they not able to distinguish betwixt good and evil ? 
Do not they understand their own interest ? What then 
should be the reason that so many of them should be call- 
ed and invited to the chiefest good, the highest happiness 
their natures are capable of, yet so few of them snouid 
4 



CALL AND ELECTION. SIS 

mind or prosecute it, so as to be chosen or admitted into 
the participation of it ? What shall we ascribe it to, the 
will and pleasure of almighty God, as if he delighted in 
the ruin of his creatures, and therefore although he calls 
them> he would not have them to come unto him ? No, 
that cannot be ; for in his revealed will, which is the only 
rule that we are to walk by, he hath told us the contrary in 
plain terms, and hath confirmed it too with an oath, say- 
ing, As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in 
the death of the wicked, but that he should turn from his way 
and live, Ezek. xxxiii. 11. And elsewhere he assures us, 
that he would have all men saved, and to come to the know- 
ledge of the truth, 1 Tim. ii. 4. And therefore if we be- 
lieve what God saith, nay, if we believe what he hath 
sworn, we must needs acknowledge that it is his will and 
pleasure, that as many as are called, should be all chosen 
and savfi^ And indeed, if he had no mind that we should 
come wnen we are called to him, why should he call us to 
come ? Why hath he given us his word, his ministers, his 
ordinances, and all to invite and oblige us to repent and 
turn to him, if after all he was resolved not to accept of 
us, nor would have us come at all ? Far be it from us that 
we should ever have such hard and unworthy thoughts of 
the great Creator and governor of the world, especially 
considering that he hath told us the contrary, as plainly 
as it was possible for him to express his mind to us. I do 
not deny, but that according to the apostle, known unto 
God are all his works from the beginning of the world, Acts 
xv. 18. And there are several passages in scripture which 
intimate unto us God's eternal election of all that are tru- 
ly pious, to live with him for ever. But it is not for us 
to be so bold and impudent, as to pry into the secrets of 
God, nor so curious as to search into his eternal and in- 
comprehensible decrees ; but we must still remember the 
words of Moses, that secret things belong unto the Lord our 
God, but those things which are reveakdbelong unto us, that 
we may do all the words of this law, Deut. xxix. 2Q. What- 
soever is necessary for us to believe or do, in order to our 
eternal salvation, is clearly revealed to us in the holy 
scriptures, and therefore what we there read belongs unto 
us to know, neither are we to look any farther than to his 
revealed will. But God in the scriptures doth plainly tell 
us, not only in the places before quoted, but elsewhere, 
that he is not willing that any should perish, but that all 
should come to repentance, 2 Pet. iii. 9. This is the re- 

O 



3L± THOUGHTS UPON OUR 

vealed will of God, which we are to acquiesce in, and rest 
fully satisfied with, so as to act accordingly, without con- 
cerning ourselves about things that are too high for us, 
and no way belong unto us. And therefore it is *iot his 
secret, but revealed will, that we are to search for the 
reasons of this proposition, that many are called, but few 
chosen. 

Now consulting the word of God to find out the reasons 
of this so strange assertion, That many are called, and few 
chosen, I know no better or fitter place to search for them 
than this parable, which gave our blessed Saviour the oc- 
casion of asserting it ; in which it is very observable that 
he meddles not at all with any reasons a 'priori, deduced 
from the eternal decrees of his Father, but he only sug- 
gests to us the reasons a posteriori, drawn from the dispo- 
sition and carriage of men, why so many are called, and 
yet so few chosen. A, 

For the opening whereof we must know that the end 
and intent of this parable, was only to shew the enter- 
tainment which his gospel had then, and should still meet 
with in the world ; many refusing to embrace it at all, and 
of those who embrace it, many still walking unworthy of 
it. So that the issue and consequence of it will be, that 
though many be called to it, there are but few chosen. 
And he hath so worded the parable that we need not seek 
any farther for the reasons of this conclusion from it, they 
being almost clearly couched in the parable itself ; which 
that we may the better understand, I shall open and ex- 
plain them particularly, so as to make them intelligible, I 
hope, to the meanest capacity. 

I. The first reason therefore why so many are called, 
but so few chosen, is because they who are called to Christ, 
will not come unto him ; for this is the first reason which 
our Saviour himself in the parable assigns for it : H The 
king," saith he, " sent his servants to call them that were 
bidden to the marriage, and they would not come," Matt, 
xxiii. 3. And they would not come ; so that the great 
fault is still in the wills of men, which are generally so de- 
praved and corrupt, that though they be called never so 
oft, and cannot but in reason acknowledge that it is their 
interest to come, yet they have so strange an aversion to 
the holiness and purity of the gospel which they are called 
to, that they will not come unto it, only because they will 
not ; for here they who are first bidden, give no reason 
for their refusal, only it is said, they would not come. 



CALL AND ELECTION, 315 

And good cause why, for when we have searched into all 
the reasons imaginable, why men do not fully submit 
themselves to the obedience of the gospel, they will all 
resolve and empty themselves into this, that they will not 
because they will not. Let ministers say what they can, 
let the scriptures say what it will, let God himself say what 
he pleases, yet sinners men are, and sinners they will be, 
in spite of them all ; as the prophet rebuking the people 
for their sins, said, " But thou saidst, there is no hope ; 
No, for I loved strangers, and after them will I go," J er. 
ii. 25. And so it is to this day ; we tell them of their sins, 
and the darigerous consequences of them ; we tell them 
that they must not love the world, but seek the king- 
dom of God and his righteousness in the first place ; 
we tell them from Christ's own mouth, that except they re- 
pent an<J>forsake their sins, they must perish ; but they 
say in effect, that we had as good hold our tongues ; for 
they have loved the world, and after it they will go, 
they have found pleasure in the commission of their sins, 
and therefore they will commit them ; Christ calls them 
to come unto him, and they know no reason why they 
should not, but howsoever they will not come : if we were 
but once willing, the work was done ; for what our wills 
are really inclined to, we cannot but use the utmost of our 
endeavour to attain. But the mischief is, men read the 
gospel, they hear Christ calling upon them to believe and 
obey it, but their wills are still averse from it, there is a 
kind of antipathy and contrariety within them, against 
such exact and real holiness, as the gospel requires of them. 
So that if they perish, they must blame themselves for it, 
it is their own choice they choose and prefer their sins, with 
all the miseries that attend them, before the gospel of 
Christ, with all the glory and happiness which is offered 
in it ; and therefore as God said to his people, " Turn ye, 
turn ye, for why will ye die, O house of Israel ?" Ezek. 
xxxiii. 11. so say I to these men, repent and believe the 
gospel, for why will ye die, why will ye perish eternally? 
Have you any reason for it ? None in the world but your 
own wills. Christ hath told you in plain terms, " Him 
that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out," John vi. 
35. but if you will not come unto him, who can help that? 
Are not yourselves only in the fault ? Will not your blood 
be upon your own heads ? What could Christ have dorfe 
more for you than he hath done ? What could he have 

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316 THOUGHTS UK>N OUR 

suffered more for you than he hath suffered? How could 
he call you to him more plainly or pathetically than he 
doth ? But if after all this, you will not come unto him, 
you must even thank yourselves for all the torments you 
must ere long suffer and undergo. And this is indeed the 
case of the greatest part of mankind, that though they be 
called and invited to partake of all the merits of Christ's 
death and passion, yet they will not come unto him. And 
this is the first and great reason why so many are called, 
and yet so few chosen, John v. 40. 

II. The second reason is, because men do not really be- 
lieve that they are invited to such glorious things as in- 
deed they are, as our Saviour himself intimates in the pa- 
rable. For when they who w^ere bidden would not come 
upon the first invitation, as not believing the message that 
those servants brought them, the king sent fdfrth other 
servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, bel&ld I have 
prepared my dinner, my oxen and my failings are killed, and 
all things are ready, come unto the marriage, Matt. xii. 4. 
When the first servants were not believed, he sent others 
with fuller instructions, giving them orders to acquaint 
the guests, that all things were now ready, and to assure 
them that it was to a marriage-feast they were invited. 
But it seems, whatsoever the first or second servants could 
say, it was to no purpose, they would not believe them, 
and therefore sent them away as they came ; whereby our 
Saviour exactly discovers to us the entertainment that his 
gospel always did, and still would meet with in the world. 
Before his own coming into the world, he sent his pro- 
phets to invite mankind to accept of the terms propound- 
ed in it, and to call upon them to repent and turn to God, 
that their sins might be blotted out, and their souls admit- 
ted into the grace and favour of almighty God, and so par- 
take of eternal glory, which the prophets call men to, un- 
der the notion of a feast; Feast of fat things, a feast of 
wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on 
the lees well refined, Isa. xxv. 6. which they called all men 
to, saying, Ho, every one that thirstcth, come ye to the ?va- 
ters, isa. lv. 1. But how their message was received the 
same prophet declares, saying, Who hath believed our re- 
port, and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed ? Isa. liii. 
j . and so is it since. For when the prophets could not 
be credited, God afterwards sent his apostles, and still to 
this day is sending servant after servant to invite men to 
grace and pardon> to heaven and eternal happiness. But 



CALL AND ELECTION. 317 

we his ministers may still say with the prophet, Who hath 
believed our report ? We tell men that unless they repent 
and turn to God, iniquity will be their ruin ; we tell them 
also, that if they believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, they 
shall be saved, and if they be holy here, they shall be 
happy hereafter. But what signifies our telling them of 
these things, if they believe not what we say ? And yet 
who doth ? Men give us the hearing, censure what they 
have heard, and that is all the use they make of it, never 
really or firmly believing any one truth that we make 
known or expound unto them j and this being the case not 
only of some few, but of the greatest part of mankind, 
hence it comes to pass, that so many are called and so few 
chosen ; even because they who are called do not believe 
it, and so it is all one with them whether they be called or 
no. Be sure God chooseth none but such as believe the 
word he sends unto them, for as the apostle saith, God 
hath chosen the poor of this world } rich in faith, James ii. 5„ 
If they be not rich in faith, they are not for his purpose ; 
and seeing there are but few that are so, hence of the 
many which are called, there are but few chosen. 

III. Another reason why of the many which are called 
there are so few chosen, is because they have no real esteem 
or value for the things which they are called to ; as it is in 
the parable, when the servants were sent to call upon them 
to make haste to the feast, because all things were ready, 
it is said that they made light of it, ver. 5. They did not 
think it worth their while to go, though it was to a feast, 
a marriage-feast, yea to the marriage-feast of so great a 
person as the king's son : no, not though they were invit- 
ed by the king himself unto it. Thus it was in ancient 
time, and thus it is still ; the king of heaven sends to in- 
vite men to his court, to lay aside their filthy garments, 
and to put on the robes that he hath prepared for them, 
that they be holy as he is holy, and so live with him and 
be happy for ever. But they make light of such things as 
these, they can see no such beauty in Christ, why they 
should desire him ; no such excellency in God himself, 
why they should be in love with him ; and as for heaven, 
they never were there yet, and therefore care not whether 
"they ever come there or no ; though they be called, they 

matter not whether they be chosen to it or no ; and hence 
likewise it is that of the many which are called, there are 
but few chosen. 

IV, Another reason is, because they who are called are 

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81$ THOUGHTS UPON OUR 

generally addicted to the things of this life, they have the 
serpent's curse upon them, to feed upon the dust of the 
earth, and therefore slight all the overtures that are made 
them of heaven and eternal happiness. As our Saviour 
himself intimates in this parable, saying, that when they 
were invited then made light of it, and went their way, one 
to his farm, another to his merchandize, ver. 5. Thus we 
read of the Pharisees, that they being covetous, when they 
heard the words of Christ, they derided them, Luke xvi. 
1 4. And thus it is to this day ; though men be called to 
Christ, they are so much taken up with worMly businesses 
that they can find no time to come unto him ; but away 
they go again, one to bis trade, another to his merchan- 
dize. These are the things that most men's minds are 
wholly bent upon, and therefore they will not be persuad- 
ed to leave them to go to Christ. 

It is true, if he called them to great estates, if he called 
them to a good bargain, if he called them to crowns and 
sceptres in this w r orld, then they would all strive which 
should be chosen first : but the things that he calls us to 
are quite of another nature ; he calls us to repent of our 
_sins, to believe in him, to contemn the world, to have our 
conversations in heaven. But these are things which men 
do not love to hear of, as being contrary to their earthly 
temper and inclinations; and therefore, w^ewhoare God's 
ministers may call our hearts out before they will set them- 
selves in good earnest to mind them. Or to bring it home 
still closer to us, how often have we all been invited to 
that spiritual feast, the sacrament of the Lord's Supper, 
but how few are there that come unto it, when the whole 
congregation is called to partake of it ? scarce one in twen- 
ty think it worth their while to stay to have their share in 
it. What can be the reason of this, but that our minds 
are taken up with other tilings, which we fancy to be of 
far greater concernment to us than all the merits of Christ's 
death and passion ? and therefore, it is no wonder that 
so many of us are called, and so few chosen, seeing we 
ourselves choose the toys and trifles of this transient world, 
before all those real joys which in the g'ospel we are called 
and invited to. 

V. In the next place, many of them which are called, 
have so strange an antipathy to God and goodness, that 
they do not xm\y slight their heavenly, in comparison of 
their earthly calling ; but they hate and nbuse such as are 
fltBt to call them, as our Saviour himself intimates, ver. 6. 



CALL AXD ELECTION. Sl£* 

O barbarous cruelty ; what hurt, what injury is done imto 
them ? They are invited to a feast, and for this they are 
angry, and kill the messengers which are sent to invite 
them. Thus it hath been in all ages. This was the en- 
tertainment, this the requital that most of the prophets re- 
ceived for the divine message they brought to mankind. 
Matt, xxiii. 37. Yea, Christ himself, the Son and heir 
of God, was put to death for inviting men to life and hap- 
piness, and so were his apostles too : and so it is to this 
day. There is still a secret malice and hatred in men's 
hearts against such as endeavour to preach the gospel 
clearly and fully to them. We tell them of their sins, we 
acquaint them of the danger they are in, we call upon 
them to forsake and avoid them, we invite them to Christ, 
and so to heaven and eternal happiness ; for this many of 
them are angry with us, and incensed against us. They 
may forgive us this wrong, I can assure them we intend 
them no evil, but all the good we can do or desire to our 
own souls ; that whatsoever the success be, it is still our 
duty to call upon them, to advise them of their duty, and 
if possible to reclaim them from their sins ; and if they be 
angry with us for that, as many are, they cannot wonder 
at our Saviour's saying, that many are called, hut Jew 
chosen. 

VI. The last reason which our Saviour gives in this pa- 
rable, why many are called, but few chosen, is because of 
those w r ho are called, and come too at their call, many come 
not aright, which he signifies by the man that came with- 
out his wedding-garment, ver. 11, 12, 13. where although 
he mentions but one man, yet under that one is compre- 
hended all of the same kind, even all such persons as have 
the gospel preached to them, and so are called and invited 
to all thegraces and privileges proposed in it, all such as pro- 
fess to believe in Christ, and to expect happiness and salva- 
tion from him, yet will not come up to the terms which he 
propounds in Iris gospel te them, even to walk worthy of 
the vocation wherewith they were called, Eph. iv. 1. And 
indeed this is the great reason of all, why so many which 
are called there are so few chosen, because there are so 
few which do all things which the gospel requires of them. 
Many like Herod will do many things, Mark vi. 20. and 
are almost persuaded to be Christians, as Agrippa was, 
Acts xxvi. 8. How zealous are some for, how violently 
are others against, the little ceremonies and circum stances 
of religion, and in the meanwhile neglect and let slip the 

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^20 THOUGHTS UPON OUR, &C. 

power and substance of it ? How demure are some in their 
carriage towards men, but irreverent and slovenly in the 
worship of almighty God ? How devout would others 
seem towards God, but are still careless and negligent of 
their duty towards men ? Some are all for the duties of 
the first table without the second, others for the second 
without the first. Some are altogether for obedience and 
good works, without faith in Christ ; others are as much for 
faith in Christ, without obedience and good works. Some 
would do all themselves, as if Christ had done nothing for 
them ; others fancy that Christ hath so done all things 
for them, that there is nothing left for themselves to do : 
and so betwixt both these sorts of people, which are the 
far greater part of those who are called, either the merits, 
or else the laws of Christ are slighted and contemned. But 
is this the way to be saved ? No, surely : if I know any 
thing of the gospel, it requires both repentance and faith 
in Christ, that we perform sincere obedience to all his laws, 
and yet trust in him, and him alone, for pardon, accept- 
ance, and salvation. And whosoever comes short of this, 
though he be called, we may be sure he is not chosen, 
though he come to the marriage-feast with those that are 
invited, yet wanting this wedding-garment, he will be 
cast out again with shame and confusion of face. So that 
it is not our doing some, or many, or most of the things 
which the gospel requires, that will do our business, unless 
we do all to the utmost of our skill and power. But where 
shall we find the man that doth so ? What grqund have we 
but to acknowledge that our Saviour had too much cause 
to say, Many are called, but few chosen ; which I fear is 
but too true, not only of others, but ourselves too. 

I say not this to discourage any one : no, it is my 
hearty desire and prayer to the eternal God, that every 
soul of us might be chosen and saved. But my great fear 
is, that many think it so easy a matter to go to heaven, 
that if they do but say their prayers, and hear sermons 
now and then, they cannot miss of it, and therefore need 
not trouble themselves any farther about it. But they 
must give me leave to tell them, that this will not serve 
their turn ; if it would, most of those which are called 
would be chosen too. Whereas our Saviour himself tells 
us, in plain terms, the contrary. And yet this should be 
so far from discouraging of us, that it sliou Id rather excite 
us to greater diligence about it than heretofore we may 
have used, as our Saviour himself intimates in his answer 



THOUGHTS UPON THE BEATIFIC VISION. 321 

to this question, Luke xiii. 23, 24. And verily, what 
greater encouragement can we have, than to consider, that 
though there be but few chosen, yet there are some ? For 
why may not you and I be in the number of those few as 
well as others ? Are we not all called to Christ ? Are not 
we all invited, yea, commanded to believe in his name, 
and obey his gospel, that so we may partake of everlasting 
glory ? Let us then all set about that work in good earn- 
est, which we are called to. Let us but fear God, and 
keep his commandments, and but believe in his Son for his 
acceptance of us ; and then we need not fear, for thougli 
of the many others which are called, there are but few 
chosen ; yet we few who are called shall be all chosen * 
chosen to live with God himself, and Jesus Christ, and to 
sing forth his praises for evermore, 



Thoughts upon the Appearance of Christ the Sun of 
Righteousness, or the Beatific Vision, 

SO long as we are in the body, we are apt to be govern- 
ed wholly by its senses, seldom or never minding any 
thing but what comes to us through one or other of them „ 
Though we are all able to abstract our thoughts when we 
please from matter, and fix them upon things that are 
purely spiritual, there are but few that eVer do it. But 
few, even among those also that have such things revealed 
to them by God himself, and so have infinitely more an4 
firmer ground to believe them, than any one, or all their 
senses put together can afford. Such are the great truths 
of the gospel, for which we have the infallible word andi 
testimony of the supreme truth ; yet seeing they are not 
the objects of sense, but only of our faith, though we pro«* 
fess to believe them, yet we take but little notice of them, 
and are usually no more affected with them, than as if there 
were no such thing in being. Hence it hath pleased God^ 
in great compassion to our infirmity, not only to reveal 
and make known such spiritual things to us, in plain and 
easy terms, but likewise to bring them as near as possible 
to our senses, by representing them to us under the names 
and characters of such sensible objects as bear the great* 
est resemblance to them ; that we, who are led so much 
by Our senses, may by them also be directed how to ap« 

OS 



322 THOUGHTS UPON THE BEATIFIC VISION. 

prebend those spiritual objects which he hath told us of ? 
on purpose that we may believe them upon his word. 

Thus he often useth the words, hand, eye, and the like, 
to signify his own divine perfections to us. And thus it 
was that our Saviour preached the gospel to the people, 
by parables and similitudes of things commonly seen and 
done among themselves. The prophets also frequently 
took the same cpurse, as might be shewn by many in- 
stances ; but one of the most remarkable is that in Mai. 
iv. 2. where the prophet in the name of God speaking of 
Christ's coming into the world, expresses it by the rising 
of the sun, saying, To you that fear my name shall the Sun 
of righteousness arise, with healing in his wings. 

For that Jesus Christ is that Sun of righteousness here 
spoken of, is so plain from the context, and the whole de- 
sign of the prophet, , that I need not insist upon the prov- 
ing of it ; but shall only observe, that this being the last 
of all the prophets in the Old Testament, he shuts up his 
own and all the other prophecies with a clear prediction 
of Christ, and his fore-runner John the Baptist, whom he 
calls Elijah, or Elias, and concludes his prophecy with 
these words concerning him, Behold, I will send yon Elijah 
the prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day 
of the Lord. And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to 
the children, and the heart of the children to the fathers, lest 
I come and smite the earth, (or rather the land) with a curse, 
Mai. iv. 5, 6. For that by Elijah is here meant John the 
Baptist, we are assured by Christ himself, Matt. xi. 1 i. 
And it is very observable, that as this prophet ends the 
Old Testament with a prediction of Elias, so St. Luke be- 
gins the new with a relation how John the Baptist was 
born, and so came into the world a little before Christ, as 
the morning-star that appeared before the rising of the Sun 
of righteousness. 

But of the day which shall come at the rising of that 
glorious Sun, the prophet saith, that it shall burn as an 
oven, and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, 
shall be stubble, and the day that cometh shall burn them 
up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them net* 
iher root nor branch, ver. 1. It will be a terrible day to 
those that shall obstinately refuse to walk in the light of 
it ; they shall be all consumed, as we read the unbeliev- 
ing Jews were at the destruction of Ilierusalem, that hap- 
pened soon after that sun was up. But then turning him- 
self, as it were to his own people, almighty God, here by 
his prophet, cheers and comforts them, saying unto them 



THOUGHTS UPON THE BEATIFIC VISION. 323 

But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteous- 
ness arise, with healing in his wings, &c. He shall arise 
to all, but to the other with such a scorching heat as shall 
burn them up, to these with healing in his wrings, or rays, 
so as not to hurt, but heal them of all their maladies. 

Now that which I chiefly design by God's assistance, to 
shew from these words, is, what thoughts they suggest to 
us concerning our blessed Saviour, by calling him the Sun 
of righteousness. But to make the way as plain as I can, 
we must first consider, to whom he is here said to arise 
with healing in his wings, even to those that fear the name 
of God ; i e. to those who firmly believing in God, and be- 
ing fully persuaded of his infinite power, justice, and 
mercy, and also of the truth of all his threats and pro- 
mises, stand continually in awe of him, not daring to do 
any thing willingly that may offend him, nor leave any 
thing undone, that he would have them do. Such, and 
such only, can be truly said to fear God. And therefore 
the fear of God in the scriptures, especially of the Old 
Testament, is all along put for the whole duty of man, 
There be no duty that a man owes, either to God or his 
neighbour, but if he really fears God, he will endeavour 
all he can to do it. But this necessary supposes his belief 
in God, and his holy word, or rather proceeds originally 
from it. For, he that comet h unto God, so as to fear and 
obey him, mmi believe that he is, and thai he is a rewarder 
of them who diligently seek him, lleb. xi. 6. So that, as no 
man can believe in God, but he must needs fear him ; so 
no man can fear God, unless he first believes in him. From 
whence it necessarily follows, that by those who are here 
said to fear the name of God, we can understand no other 
but only such as are possessed with a firm belief in him, 
and with a full persuasion of the truth and certainty of 
those divine revelations that he hath made of himself, and 
of his will to mankind and therefore live accordingly, 

Of these, and these only, it is here said, that to them 
shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings* 
Not to any other ; no other being able to see his light, no^ 
capable of those healing influences that proceed from him. 
For though he be a Sun, he is not such a sun as we see 
with our bodily eyes in the firmament, but the Sim of 
righteousness, shining in the highest heavens, beyond th§ 
reach of our senses, visible only to the eye of faith, the 
evidence of things not seen. Insomuch, that although , 
he be risen, and darts down his beams to this lowqr work4 

O 6 



S24i THOUGHTS UPON THE BEATIFIC VISION. 

continually, yet they who have not faith, can neither see 
him, nor enjoy any more benefit by him, than as if he was 
,not risen, or did not shine at all. As if a man be born 
stark blind, though the sun shine never so clear about 
him, he sees no more than he did before, but lives in the 
dark at noon-day as much as at midnight ; neither can ye 
ever make him understand what light or colours are ; for 
having not that sense, by which alone such things can be 
perceived, he can never understand what you mean by 
such things, so as to form any true notion of them in his 
mind : so it is in our present case ; though the Sun of righ- 
teousness be risen, and shines most gloriously in the world, 
yet being the object only of our faith, without that a man 
can discern nothing of him. He may perhaps talk of light, 
but all the while he knows not what he means by the 
w T ords he useth about it. For he useth them only as words 
in course, taken up from those he talks with, without hav- 
ing any effect or operation at all upon his mind ; w r hereas 
they who really believe God's word, and what there is re- 
vealed concerning the Sun of righteousness, they see his 
light, they feel his heat, they experience the power and 
efficacy of his influences ; and therefore, although they 
who have no faith (as few have) can be no way profited by 
w T hat they shall hear or read of him, yet they who have, 
and act it out of what they hear or read out of God's holy 
word concerning him, they will find their thoughts and ap- 
prehensions of him cleared up, and their affections inflam- 
ed to him ; so as to love and honour him for the future, as 
the fountain of all that spiritual life, and light, and joy 
they have : For to them he will arise with healing in his 
wings. 

He did not only arise once, "but he continually ariseth 
to those who believe in God, and fear him. For thus 
saith the Lord, " to you that fear my name shall the Sun 
of righteousness arise with healing in his wings." It is 
true, he speaks more especially of his incarnation, or vi- 
sible appearance in the world ; but, by this manner of 
speaking, he intimates withal that this Sun of righteous- 
ness is always shining upon his faithful people, more or 
less, in all ages from the beginning to the end of this 
world. For in that it is said, he shall arise, it is plainly 
supposed that he was the Sun of righteousness before, and 
gave light unto the world, though not so clearly as when 
he was actually arisen. As we see and enjoy the light of 
the sun, long before he riseth, from the first dawning of 



THOUGHTS UPON THE BEATIFIC VISION. £25 

the clay,, though it grows clearer and clearer, all along as 
he comes nearer and nearer to his rising : so the Sun of 
righteousness began to enlighten the world as soon as it 
was darkened by sin ; the day then began to break, and 
it grew lighter and lighter in every age. Adam himself 
saw something of this light, Abraham more ^ Abraham re* 
joiced to see my day, saith this glorious Sun, he saw it and 
was glad, John viii. 56. David and the prophets after 
him saw it most clearly, especially this, the last of the 
prophets ; he saw this Sun in a manner rising, so that he 
could tell the people that it would suddenly get above 
their horizon, The Tx)rd whom ye seek, saith he, shall smU 
denly come to his temple, Mai. iii. 1. and acquaints them 
also with the happy influences it would have upon them, 
saying, in the name of God, " Unto you that fear my 
name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in 
his wings." 

The Sun of righteousness ; that is, as I observed before, 
Jesus Christ the righteous, who is often foretold and spoke 
of under the name and notion of the sun or star that giv- 
eth light unto the world ; there shall come a star out of J a* 
cob, said Balaam, Numb. xxiv. 17. And he shall be, as 
the light of the morning when the sun riseth, saith David, 
2 Sam. xxiii. 4. And the prophet Isaiah speaking of his 
coming, saith, ' ' The people that walked in darkness have 
seen a great light, and they that dwelt in the land of the 
shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined," Isa. 
ix. 2. For that this was spoken of Christ, we have the 
authority of the evangelists, Matt. iv. 16. To the same 
purpose, is that of the same prophet, u Arise, shine, for 
thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon 
thee. For behold the darkness shall cover the earth, and 
gross darkness the people ; but the Lord shall arise upon 
thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee/' Isa. Ix. 1, 2. 
" The sun shall be no more the light by day, neither for 
brightness shall the moon give light unto thee : but the 
Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God 
thy glory," ver. 19. To which we may add the many 
places where Christ is called Nazareth, which we tran- 
slate the Branch, as, " I will bring forth my servant the 
branch," Ezek. iii. 8. " Behold the man, whose name is 
the Branch," chap. vi. 12. " I will raise up to David a 
righteous Branch," Jer. xxiii. 5. <e And a Branch of 
Righteousness," chap, xxiii. 25. In all which places the 
original word signifies also Me rising of the sun, and is^ac- 



1 



326 THOUGHTS LPON THE BEATIFIC VISION. 

cordingly rendered by the LXX. AnatoJe Oricns, not that 
part of heaven where the sun riseth, but the sun itself as 
rising there. And so it is translated also both in the Syriac 
and Arabic versions. And where it is said, " In that day 
shall the Branch of the Lord be beautiful/' Isa. iv. 2. In 
the LXX. it is epilampsci ho Theos, God shall shine for Ui. 
In the Syriac, " The rising of the Lord shall be for glory." 
In Arabic, " The Lord shall rise as the sun." And that 
this is the true sense of the word in all these places, appears 
from the prophecy of Zacharias the father of John the Bap- 
tist ; for, speaking of Christ's coming, he expresses it ac- 
cording to our translation, by saying, " The day-spring 
from on high hath visited us," Luke i. 78. But in the ori- 
ginal it is the same word that the LXX. use in all the afore- 
said places. Anatole Oriens, the rising-sun. And it is 
much to be observed, that all the said places of the pro- 
phets are interpreted of the Messiah or Christ, by the Tar- 
gum or Chaldee paraphrase made by the ancient Jews 
themselves; for Tash, the rising~su?i, is there translated 
Messiah, the Christ, as if it was only another name for 
the Messiah, the Saviour of the world. From all which it 
appears, that when the prophet here calls our Saviour 
Christ, the Sun of righteousness, he speaks according to 
the common sense and practice of the church. 

And verily he may wellbecalled the Sun, both in respect of 
what he is in himself, and in respect of what he is to us. As 
there is but one sun in the firmament, it is the chief of all 
creatures, that we see in the world. There is nothing upon 
earth, but what is vastly inferior, the very stars of heaven 
seem no way comparable to it. It is the top, the head, 
the glory of all visible objects : in like manner, there is 
but one Saviour in the world, he is exalted far above all 
things in it, not only above the sun itself, but above all 
principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and 
every name that is named, not only in this world, but 
also in that which is to come. " Ail things are put under 
his feet, and he is given to be head over all things to the 
church, Eph. i. 21, 22. The very angels, authorities, 
and powers of heaven, are all ftoade subject to Lint, 1 Pet. 
iii. 22. And that is the reason that be is said to be at the 
right hand of God, because he is preferred before, and set 
over the whole creation, next to the almighty Creator him- 
self, where he now reigns, and doth whatsoever he pleas- 
eth in heaven and In earth. 



THOUGHTS UPON THE BEATIFIC VISION. 32J 

And as the sun is in itself also the most glorious., as well 
as the most excellent creature we see, of such transcen- 
dant beauty, splendour and glory, that we cannot look 
steadfastly upon it, but our eyes are presently dazzled ; so 
is Christ the Su?i of righteousness : when he was transfi- 
gured, his face did shine as the sun, Matt. xvii. 2. When 
St. John had a glimpse of him, he saw his countenance as 
the sun that shincth in his strength, Rev. i. 16. When he 
appeared to St. Paul going to Damascus at mid-day, 
" there was a light above the brightness of the sun shining 
round about him, and them that journeyed with him," 
Acts xxvi. 13. And it is no wonder, " For he is the 
brightness of his Father's glory, and the express image of 
his person," Heb. i. 3. And therefore must needs shine 
more gloriously than it is possible for any mere creature 
to do ; his very body, by reason of its union to the divine 
person, is a glorious body, Phil. iii. 21. The most glori- 
ous, doubtless, of all the bodies in the world, as far ex- 
ceeding the sun, as that doth a clod of earth ; insomuch, 
that co aid we look upon our Lord as he now shines forth 
in all his glory in the highest heavens, how would our eyes 
be dazzled ? Our whole souls amazed and confounded at 
his excellent glory ? The sun would appear to us no 
otherwise than as the moon and stars do, when the sun is 
up. And he that so far excels the sun in that very pro- 
perty, wherein the sun excels all other things, may well 
be called the Sun : the Sun by way of pre-eminence, the 
most glorious sun in the world, in comparison whereof no- 
thing else deserves to be called by that name. Neither 
may our blessed Saviour be justly called by this glorious 
name, only for what he is in himself, but likewise from 
what he doth for us ; as may be easily demonstrated from 
all the benefits that we receive from the sun. I shall in- 
stance in some of the most plain and obvious. 

First, Therefore, the sun we know is the fountain of 
all the light that we have upon earth, without which we 
could see nothing, not so much as the way that is before 
us, but should always be groping and stumbling in the 
dark ; whereas by it we can discern every thing that is 
about us, or at any distance from us, as far as our sight 
can reach. In which respect our blessed Lord is the Sun 
indeed; the light of the world, John viii. 12. " The true 
light that lighteth every one that cometh into the 
world," chap. i. 9. u A light to lighten the Gentiles, and 
the glory of his people Israel," Luke i. 32. A marvellous 



328 THOUGHTS UPON THE BEATIFIC VISION. 

light, 1 Pet. ii. 9. Whereby we can see things that are 
not visible to the eye, as plainly as we do those that are. 
For this Day-spring from on high, the Sun of righteousness 
hath visited us, " to give light to them that sit in dark- 
ness, and in the shadow of death, and to guide our feet 
into the way of peace," Luke i. 78, 79< To shew us the 
invisible things of God, and direct us to all things belong- 
ing to our everlasting peace and happiness. He hath made 
them all clear and manifest to us in his gospel. But what- 
soever maketh manifest is light, Eph. v. 13. Wherefore he 
is said to have brought life and immortality to light through 
the gospel, % Tim. i. 10. Because he hath there so clearly 
revealed them to us, that by the light of his holy gospel 
we may see all things necessary to be known, believed, or 
done, in order to eternal life, as plainly as we can see the 
most visible objects at noon-day. 

By this light we can see as much of the glory of God 
himself, as our mortal nature can bear. For, " No man 
hath seen God at any time ; the only begotten Son which 
is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him/' 
John i. 1 8. " Neither knoweth any man the Father, save 
the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him," 
Matt. xi. 27. So that no man ever had or can have any 
right knowledge of the true God, but only by his Son our 
Saviour Christ. But by this means they that lived before 
might see him as by twilight ; we who live after this Sun 
is risen, may see him by the clearest light that can be 
given of him; for he hath fully revealed and declared him- 
self to us in the gospel. 

By this glorious light, we can see into the mystery of 
the eternal Trinity in unity, so as to believe that God the 
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are one, one Jehovah, one 
God. That God the Father made all things at first by his 
word, and still upholds and orders all things according to 
his will : that God the Son was made flesh, became man, 
and as such died upon the cross, and so offered up himself 
as a sacrifice for the sins of the whole world ; that he arose 
again, went up to heaven, and is now there at the right 
hand of God ; that upon our repentance and faith in him 
our sins are pardoned, and he that made us is reconciled to 
us by the merits of his said death ; that by the power of 
his intercession which he now makes in heaven for us, we 
are justified or accounted righteous in him, before him, 
and in him our almighty Father ; that God the Holy 
Ghost abides continually with his church, moving upon. 



THOUGHTS UPON THE BEATIFIC VISION. 329 

actuating and influencing the means of grace that are there 
administered ; that he sanctifies all that believe in Christ, 
leads them into all truth, comforts them in their troubles, 
and assists them in doing whatsoever is required of them. 
These and many such great and necessary truths, as lay 
in a great measure hid before, are now, by the light of the 
Sun of righteousness shining in his gospel, made so plain 
and evident, that all may see them, except they wilfully 
shut their eyes, or turn their backs upon them. 

And though the sun in the firmament enlightens only 
the air, to make it a fit medium through which to see this 
glorious light that comes from the Sun of righteousness, 
enlightening men's minds too, and opens their eyes to be* 
hold the wondrous things that are revealed in the law of God, 
Psal. cxix. 18. And that too so effectually in some, that 
they likewise are able to enlighten others, to open their 
eyes, and turn them from darkness to light, Acts xxvi. 
18. Insomuch that they are also the light of the world; 
Matt. v. 14. Not originally in themselves, but by com- 
munication from him, as the moon is first enlightened by 
the sun, and then reflects its light to the earth. 

Moreover, the sun is the first cause under God, not 
only of light, but also of all the life that is in any creature 
upon earth, without which nothing could live, no, not so 
much as a vegetable, much less an animal life ; for that 
which we call life, wherewith such creatures as have or- 
gans fitted for it, are actuated and quickened, so as to be 
said properly to live, it all depends upon the heat and in- 
fluence of the sun. Should the sun once cease to be, or to 
influence the world, all living creatures would immediate- 
ly expire and die. So is Christ the Sun of righteousness, 
the fountain of all spiritual life. " In thee/' saith David, 
" is the fountain of life, in thy light shall we see light/* 
Psal. xxxvi. 9- where we see that light and life in this sense 
also go together ; they both proceed from the same foun- 
tain, the Sun of righteousness : who therefore saith, " I 
am the light of the world, he that followeth me shall not 
walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life/' John 
viii. 12. That light which hath life always proceeding 
from it, and accompanying it ; so that he is both life and 
light itself. " I am/' saith he, " the way, the truth, and 
the life," . John xiv. 6. And our life, as the apostle calls 
him, Col. iii. 4. Even the life of all that believe in him. 
The life that I now live in the flesh, saith the same apostle, 
/ live by the faith of the Son of God, Gal. ii.-20. « And 



330 THOUGHTS UPON THE BEATIFIC VISION'. 

therefore he who believeth, and so hath the Son, he hath 
life, and he that hath not the Son, hath not life," John 
v. 12. 

From all which it appears, that all men by nature are 
dead in trespasses and sins, Eph. ii. 1. " But when any arise 
from the dead by faith, it is Christ that gives them life, 
chap. v. I 4. " Who came into the world on purpose that 
they might have life, and that they might have it more 
abundantly/' John x. 10. More abundantly, that is, in 
the highest and most excellent manner that is possible for 
men to live; for this life which the Sun of righteousness 
raises believers to, is the life of righteousness, an holy, an 
heavenly, a spiritual, divine life; it is the life of faith, 
whereby they live to other purposes, and in a qui£e differ- 
ent manner from other men ; they live to God, and not 
unto the world ; they live in a constant dependance upon 
him, and submission to him ; they live with a firm belief 
of his word, and sincere obedience to his laws ; they live 
altogether in his service, so that " whether they eat or 
drink, or whatsoever they do, they still do it to the glory 
of God," 1 Cor. x. 31. In short, they strive all they can 
to do the will of God upon earth, as the holy angels do it 
in heaven, and so have their conversation there, where 
their Saviour and their treasure is. 

But this life is infused in them, only by the rays of the 
Sun of righteousness, by the Holy Spirit which proceed- 
ed from Christ, whereby they being born again, and 
made the children of light, thus walk in newness of life ; 
and so ft is nourished also, preserved and strengthened 
only by him, who therefore calls himself the Bread of Life, 
John vi. 35, 48. And " the bread of God, which Com- 
eth from heaven, and giveth life unto the world, ver. 33. 
the living bread, of which if any man eateth, he shall 
live for ever/' ver. 51. And this bread which he gives is 
his flesh, " which he gave for the life of the world," ibid. 
" For his flesh is meat indeed, and his blood is drink in- 
deed ; so that whoso eateth his flesh and drinketh his blood, 
hath eternal life, and he will raise him up at the last day, 
that he may live for ever, ver. 55, 56, 58. For Christ is 
the resurrection and the life ; whosoever believeth in him, 
though he were dead, yet shall he live, and whosoever 
liveth and believeth in him shall never die," chap. ix. 25, 
26". Though his body may die, yet not his soul : and his 
body also at the last day shall be raised again to life, by 
the power of this glorious Sun : " For as in Adam all die, 
even so in Christ shall all be made alive," 1 Cor. xv. 22. 



THOUGHTS UPON THE BEATIFIC' VISION. 351 

Seeing therefore that Jesus Christ is the fountain of 
the life of righteousness, the author of that spiritual and 
eternal life which the righteous live, as the sun is of our 
natural, he also may most properly be called the Sun of 
righteousness, as he is in the words before us. And so he 
may be likewise from his cheering and refreshing our spi- 
rits in the inward -man as the Sun does in the outward. 
The Tight of the eyes, saith the wise man, rejoiceth the heart, 
Prov. xv. SO. And truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant 
thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun, Eccl. xi. 7. This 
we all find by daily experience, and so do we too, that the 
light and heal of the sun agitate or move our animal spi- 
rits in so benign and delicate a manner, that we are always 
more cheerful and pleasant when the sun shines clearly 
than we are in a dark night or a cloudy day. But in this 
the Sun of righteousness infinitely exceeds the other, for 
he is the fountain not only of some, but of all the true joy 
and comfort that his faithful people have, or ever can have 
in the world. It all proceeds from him, whom having not 
seen they love, in whom, though now they see him not, 
yet believing, they rejoice with joy unspeakable, and full of 
glory, 1 Pet. i. 8. For upon their believing in him, as 
having been delivered for their offences, and raised again 
for their justification, he manifesteth himself and his spe- 
cial love and favour to them, in the pardon of their sins, 
and their reconciliation to almighty God, whereby their 
-souls are filled, not only with unspeakable, but glorious 
joy, of the same nature of that which the saints in heaven 
are continually transported with. This is that which is 
called the lifting up the light of God's countenance, and 
his causing his face to shine upon them, Psal. iv. 6. lxvii. 
1. and lxxx. 3. Numb. vi. 25. When the Sun of righte- 
ousness thus shineth upon them, refreshing and comfort- 
ing their hearts, by the sweet influences of that holy Spirit 
that proceedeth from him. 

But the sun doth not only refresh the earth, but makes 
it fruitful ; it is by this means, under Ood, that plants 
grow and bring forth fruit, and that animals do the re- 
spective works which God hath set them. So is Christ 
the cause or author of all the good and righteous works 
that are done in the world ; he himself saith, without me 
ye can do nothing, John xv. 5. And his apostle could say 
upon his own experience, / can do all things through Christ 
that strengthened me, Phil. iv. 13. And that the fruits, all 
the fruits of righteousness, are by Jesus Christ, or come 



332 THOUGHTS UPON THE BEATIFIC VISION. 

from him, chap. i. 11. Who therefore in this respect also 
may well be termed the Sun of righteousness. 

To which we may likewise add, that as the works which 
God hath made upon earth by his power, although they 
have no light in themselves whereby they can be seen, 
yet they appear in all their beauty and colours by the sun 
reflecting his light upon them • so the works which his 
servants do by his assistance and grace, although they have 
no real worth, nor are exactly righteous in themselves, 
yet by the Sun of righteousness reflecting his righteous- 
ness upon them, they seem or are accounted righteous in 
the sight of God ; or; as §1. Peter speaks, they are accept- 
able to God by Jesus Christy 1 Pet. ii. 5. Without whom 
therefore there could be no such thing as righteousness 
seen upon earth, no more than there could be colours 
without light. But, as by one man's disobedience many 
were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be 
made righteous, Rom. v. 19. both sincerely righteous in 
themselves, and accepted of as righteous before God, by 
his righteousness imputed to them. So that all righteous- 
ness, both as it is performed by men, and as it is approv- 
ed of by God, comes only from Jesus Christ. And this 
seems to be the great reason, wherefore he is here called in 
a peculiar manner the Sun of righteousness, and promised 
to arise to his people with healing in his wings, that they 
may grow up as calves in the stalls ; to shew that it is by 
him only that they are healed of their infirmities, and re- 
stored to a sound mind, so as to grow in grace and bring 
forth the fruits of righteousness, such righteousness as by 
him is acceptable to God, from whom they shall there- 
fore at the last day receive the crown of righteousness, that 
crown which this Sun of righteousness hath procured for 
them. 

Upon fhese, among many other accounts, Jesus Christ 
the Saviour of mankind may be truly called the Sun of 
righteousness, as he is here by the Spirit of truth itself, 
for our admonition and comfort. For hereby we are put 
in mind how to think of our blessed Saviour, and to exer- 
cise our faith in him, so as to love and honour him with all 
our hearts, and to put our whole trust and confidence in 
him for all things necessary to our eternal salvation. For- 
asmuch as we are by this means given to understand, that 
what the sun is to this lower world, the same is Christ to 
his church. But the sun, as we have heard, is the most 
excellent, and most glorious that we see in the wprld. It 



THOUGHTS UPON THE BEATIFIC VISION. - 835 

is the next cause, under God, of all the light that is in the 
air, and of all the life that any creatures live upon the 
earth. It is that which refresheth the earth, and makes it 
fruitful. It is that also which gives a lustre to all things 
that are about us, so as to make them pleasing and delight- 
ful to the eye. 

And accordingly, whensoever I think of my blessed Sa- 
viour, the Sun of righteousness, I apprehend, or rather 
by the eye of faith I behold him in the highest heavens, 
there shining in glory and splendor infinitely greater than 
any mortal eye can bear, invested with supreme majesty, 
honour, and authority over the whole creation. I behold 
him there surrounded with an innumerable company of 
holy angels, as so many fixed stars, and of glorified saints 
as planets enlightened by him ; all his satellites or servants 
waiting upon him, ready upon all occasions to reflect and 
convey his benign influences or favour to his people upon 
earth. I see him yonder, by his own light, I behold him 
displaying his bright beams, and diffusing his light round 
about, over his whole church, both that which is trium- 
phant in heaven, and that which is militant here on earth ; 
that all the members of it may see all things belonging to 
their peace. I behold him continually sending down his 
quickening Spirit upon those who are baptized into, and 
believe in his holy name, to regenerate them, to be a 
standing principle of a new and divine life in them. I be- 
hold him there manifesting himself, and causing his face 
to shine upon those who look up to him, so as to refresh 
and cheer their spirits, to make them brisk and lively, and 
able to run with patience the race that is set before them. I 
behold him there continually issuing forth his holy Spirit, 
to actuate and influence the administration of his word and 
sacraments ; that all who duly receive them may thereby 
grow in grace, and be fruitful in every good word and 
work. I behold the Sun of righteousness shining with so 
much power and efficacy upon his church, that all the 
good works which are done in it, though imperfect in 
themselves, do notwithstanding appear through him as 
good and righteous in the sight of God himself, and are 
accordingly rewarded by him. In short, as the sun was 
made to govern the day, so I behold the Sun of righteous- 
ness as governing his church, and ordering all things both 
within and without it, so as to make them work together 
for the good of those who love God, till he hath brought 
them all to himself, to live with them in the highest hea- 



334< THOUGHTS UPON THE BEATrFIC VIsIO.N. 

yens, where they also shall by his means shine' forth axtlie 
sun in the kingdom of their Father for ever, Matt. xiii. 43. 

Could we keep these and such-like thoughts of our bless- 
ed Saviour always fresh in our minds, could we be always 
thus looking upon him, as the Sun of righteousness shin- 
ing continually upon us and his whole church, what holy, 
what heavenly, what comfortable lives should we then 
lead ? We should then despise the pomps and vanities of 
this wicked world, as nothing, as less than nothing, in 
comparison of this most glorious Sun and his righteous- 
ness. We should then with St. Paul, count all things but 
loss in comparison of the knowledge of Jesus Christ our Lord, 
and should count them but dung, that we may win Christ, 
and be found in him, not having our own righteousness which 
is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, 
the righteousness which is cf God by faith, Phil. iii. 8, 9« 
We should then leave gazing upon the trifles of the lower 
world, and should be always looking up to the Sun of 
righteousness, so as to be enlightened by him, Psal. xxxiv. 
5. With such a light as will discover to us the glories o 
the other world, together with the way that leads to it. 

We should then abhor and detest the works of darkness, 
and walk as the children of light, and accordingly shine 
as lights in the world. And then we should have the light 
of God's countenance shining continually upon us, en- 
lightening, enlivening, and refreshing our whole souls, 
and purifying both our hearts and lives so, as to make us 
meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in 
light ; in that everlasting light which comes from the Sun 
of righteousness, who livetli and reigneth, and shineth 
with the Father and the Holy Ghost, one God blessed for 
ever. 



FINIS, 



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